Gemini Project
by JudasFm
Summary: COMPLETED! Robotnik's latest plot is about to be unveiled in all its sinister glory, and Sonic, Tails and Knuckles' best chance of stopping it lies in enlisting Shadow's help. However, Shadow has his own problems with a certain young jackal...
1. Party In The Sky

**AN: Just to let people know, this fic follows on from _Into the Void_; if you haven't read that one, then a couple of things may not make complete sense :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of Sega's characters. Again, I really wish I did own Shadow and Knuckles (or at least had some kind of timeshare deal) but I don't. Any characters that crop up that aren't in any Sega franchise are mine, however.**

_Guardian's Log no. 11503_

_It's been two weeks since I last saw Tails. Espio told me he's with Sonic again. Well, good! Those two deserve each other._

_Now I just have to find a way back to Angel Island._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_ _I don't believe it! I really don't BELIEVE it! Me and Tails are back on speaking terms again! Oh man, how cool is that? I've missed the little guy big time!_

_Not only that, but I finally got around to doing that gig in Sky High Zone. Man, this place really knows how to party!_

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Dear Diary_

_Wow. I haven't been to this Zone since me and Sonic freed it from Robotnik ages ago. It hasn't changed much; they're still building on mountain ledges. I don't know how they get the grass to grow this far up, but it still looks really cool! Kinda like Hill Top Zone without the whole molten lava stuff._

_--Tails_

"Are you ready to _par-tay_?"

A chorus of squeals and shrieks from the crowd gathered on the green indicated that yes, they were indeed ready to party. Behind the deck, Sonic grinned broadly.

"Al-_right_! Let's rock this joint!"

Reaching down, the hedgehog retrieved a disc and slotted it into place with one hand while the other flicked various buttons to turn on the strobe lights and start the smoke machine going. At least two disco balls were hovering above the crowd, rotating gently and throwing down a shower of reflected light.

Despite Sonic's words, things had already been in full swing even before he'd got there. Sky High Zone was famous for its nightclubs and wild parties; there were always two or three going on at any one time. The one Sonic was DJ-ing for was being held in one of the larger sites; the top of a mountain that had somehow been flattened and seeded with grass and trees to hang party lights from. Only the six foot barriers around the edge lessened the effect, although someone had thought to paint each bar a different colour in luminous paint. Even now, Sonic still wasn't sure if that was to make it easier to spot in the darkness or just to make it look cool, or possibly both.

The track finished and Sonic loaded another two, mixing them together and switching the strobe lighting for the flashing colours that had been strung from tree to tree.

Sonic had been behind the deck for all of three hours when Tails raced over to him, giddy with exhilaration and one too many trips to the punch bowl.

"This has gotta be the best gig _ever_!" Swaying slightly, the fox blinked and shook his head. "Hey, when'd you get a clone, Sonic?"

The hedgehog shook his head wryly, surreptitiously moving his own drink out of Tails' reach. "How much punch have you had, lil bro?"

"Uh…" Tails frowned in concentration. "I think 'bout six glasses," he said, holding up seven fingers, eyes not quite focusing. "It's pretty neat, huh Sonic?"

Yeah, the punch was neat alright, Sonic thought, a slight smile quirking his lips. Pretty much neat alcohol if the taste was anything to go by; someone must have spiked it.

"Six glasses, huh?" he said aloud. "You think maybe that's enough?"

Tails hiccuped, then beamed at him. "Sure do!"

_Just let me get my hands on the jerk who spiked it_, the hedgehog added grimly in his own mind. He supposed it wasn't too surprising to find alcohol here – with the exception of Tails and himself, the youngest person here was seventeen – but even so...

An oddly familiar silhouette, dark against the night sky, clambered up over the edge and onto the green. Catching sight of it, Sonic frowned.

"Hey, isn't that—"

"Knux!" Abandoning Sonic, Tails hurtled towards the echidna, burying him in a hug that almost knocked him back down the mountain again. "You're outta Scrap Brain! Didja get the Master Em'rald? Huh? Didja?"

Knuckles tensed and looked away. "Not yet. I'll pick it up before I go back to Angel Island."

Tails beamed at him. "You mean you still left it in that dragon desk?" He giggled. "Boy, you better hope nobody gets to it before you, huh Knux?"

"Zip it!" the echidna instructed him.

"Huh? Ohhh, _yeah_." Tails' beam became, if it was possible, even wider. "Secret, right?" He tried to tap the side of his nose but missed, eventually giving it up as a bad job.

"Exactly. Where's Sonic? I want to talk to him about something."

"Over here!" Tails seized Knuckles' arm tightly, hugging it to him and hauled the echidna through the mass of packed bodies. "Scuse...scuse...oops, sorry 'bout that...scuse..."

By dint of several stepped-on feet and half a dozen judiciously placed elbows, Tails and Knuckles eventually arrived at the record deck where Sonic had just accepted another glass of punch from a reveller with a _thanks_. Catching sight of the echidna, his face split into a huge grin.

"Knuckles! Man, I never thought I'd see _you_ in this Zone!"

The echidna nodded curtly – the loud music and close atmosphere was rapidly doing his head in – then raised his voice. "What's the occasion?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean the party?" Sonic shrugged. "Someone's eighteenth. I guess it's kinda a belated sixteenth for me too."

Knuckles frowned. "I thought your birthday was in June."

"Sure it is, but things being as they were back then, I didn't get a chance to party! Anyway, nobody here knows about it."

Tails blinked up at Sonic owlishly, and also somewhat unfocusedly. "_I_ know 'bout it, Sonic."

The hedgehog took one hand off the controls long enough to ruffle Tails' fur. "I know, lil bro. I know."

"Knux missed my birthday too." Tails leaned against Sonic with a wistful expression. "I was in the Chaos Caves then." He sighed loudly. "I wish you coulda been there, Sonic. It was real pretty; there were shining lights and Chaos rocks in ev'ry wall, right Knux?"

"There won't be if you keep telling the world about them," Knuckles said, his voice gruffer than usual.

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter 'cause ol' Scarface already knows where they are so he's prob'ly digging 'em all out right now, huh?" Tails lifted his cup, squinted at it in a vaguely puzzled fashion when no liquid arrived in his mouth and then tossed it away disgustedly.

"Chaos rocks?" Sonic echoed.

"Yeah! See, the Master Em'rald's jus' a giant lump of Chaos matter that the echidnas cut into the shape of an emerald 'cause they think it looked cooler!" Tails looked from one to the other, swaying, then sat down abruptly. "Sonic?"

"Yeah, lil buddy?"

"I think...I think I'm gonna pass out now," Tails said, and did.

"What's his deal?" Knuckles demanded, staring down at the fox, who was already starting to snore.

"Someone spiked the punch," Sonic answered. "Be a buddy and go get a blanket from somewhere, okay? I don't want him getting cold and I'm stuck behind this deck for a few hours."

Knuckles stared at the hedgehog, then around at the tightly packed dance green. "Where the hell am I supposed to get a _blanket_?"

Sonic turned him around and gave him a shove. "That's your problem, Knux! And while you're at it, can you pick me up a chili dog or three? I think my stomach's gonna go on strike if I don't get some food into it soon."

The echidna spun around, mouth already open for an acid retort, but Sonic had increased the volume of the music and replaced his ear protectors and the words were lost in the rock music.

A little exploration in and around various empty houses eventually yielded a woollen blanket and Knuckles dragged it back to Sonic and dumped it on top of Tails with bad grace.

"You happy now?"

"You better believe it." Sonic dumped a third song into the mix and turned. "So whaddaya think of this Zone, Knux?"

Looking around the gyrating bodies, the echidna snorted. "I think the lack of oxygen up here's driving the inhabitants nuts."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "I figured you'd say that. Jeez, would it kill you to cut loose once in a while, Knucklehead?"

Knuckles fixed Sonic with a look. "You're in a good mood."

"What? Well, sure I am. I kicked ol' Robotnik's butt again, made a daring escape, got another royalty cheque earlier this week and I'm back with Tails! And speaking of which..." Sonic glanced down at the unconscious fox. "Be a gasball and take him to Mount Parrot Hotel, wouldja?"

"Be a what?" Knuckles demanded.

"Gasball. Ball of gas. You know, a star."

Knuckles folded his arms. "I didn't come here to run your errands, Sonic!"

"Tell you what. You take Tails back to our hotel and I'll forget all about those three chili dogs you owe me, how's that sound?"

Judging from the echidna's expression, it sounded insane, but Sonic grinned broadly and said, "Great!" without waiting for an answer, then returned his attention to the music.

From inside a concealed, vacuum-sealed building, two people stood watching as the echidna stamped off with the fox in his arms, then one turned to the other with an air of desperation.

"Oh man, Knux, I can't believe Tails thinks that's us!"

**Okay, sorry about the delay, but it's finally up and running! Hope you liked it and if you read, please review!**


	2. Roomies

**D.C.111: Thanks :P I kinda like the gasball thing too ;)**

**CalliopeMused: Glad to hear it :P And thanks for reviewing too :)**

**kj: You'll see...**

**Taranea: Heh, thanks :D As for Tails...who says that's not him down there? ;) (rereads) Oh...right, yeah, I get it. My bad (edits)**

**Maverick87: It certainly looks that way ;)**

**Forgotten Muse: Thanks :D**

**Private somebody: Well, the first chapter is usually a short one (and with a cliffhanger like that, I couldn't not stop it there :P) More will be revealed presently...**

**HolyNightmare: Yes, what indeed? ;) (Hey, if I answered that question in the first chapter, there wouldn't be a story left to tell, right:P)**

**Pyro Hedgehog4Ever: Yeah, pretty much. As to why Knux was at the party...that wasn't Knux, remember? ;)**

**Asher Tye: (eyes Rouge nervously) Okay, okay; one update :P**

**Milette Tails Prower: Thanks :) And as for Tails...I shouldn't worry, he'll probably figure out something's amiss before too long ;)**

**Gadget14: Thanks :) And no worries; I will :P**

**Jarkes: You'll find out soon enough ;)**

**Matt Lans: You could very well be right ;)**

_Guardian's Log no. 11504_

_So not only am I imprisoned here, but Tails has very kindly told that damn duplicate a) where to find that replacement Master Emerald and b) about the Chaos Caves! Now we really have to get out of here._

_The only problem is how? Sonic's tried spinning and I tried punching, and nothing worked. There must be a way out somehow, but I'm damned if I know what it is._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_That hurt. That really hurt. I mean, really. Note to self, no more attempting to spindash non-spindashable surfaces. Man, my head is pounding like a jackhammer!_

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

"Any more bright ideas?" Sonic grated from where he was lying on the couch, eyes lightly closed.

Knuckles folded his arms. "Alright! I'm _sorry_ you knocked yourself out on the wall! I didn't know you weren't going to get through!"

Sonic sat up slowly, swinging his legs over. "Me neither. But it still doesn't solve our problem; we have _got_ to get out of here!"

"Oh yeah?" Knuckles folded his arms. "And you plan to accomplish this _how_?"

"I could try the spindash thing again," Sonic offered without much enthusiasm; he'd only just regained consciousness from the last failed attempt.

"Go ahead," the echidna told him. "I could do with a little more peace and quiet around this place."

Sonic threw a cushion at him, then pushed himself gently to his feet and wandered over to the door that led to his room. Opening it, he walked in and hoisted himself into the hammock that hung from one wall.

It wasn't such a bad place to be trapped, Sonic reflected rather sourly; it was like a small, two-bedroom bungalow. The rooms were a fair size – his own one was big enough to hold a stereo system, couch, computer and a bookshelf – and had obviously been furnished and decorated by someone who knew their own individual tastes.

That was what was worrying Sonic the most. About the only people who could have done this were either Tails or Robotnik. The hedgehog had to admit that all the evidence was pointing towards the doctor – what reason would _Tails_ have to replace Sonic and Knuckles? – but why hadn't Robotnik just killed them after he made his duplicates? For that matter, why make duplicates in the first place?

Reaching out with one foot, Sonic pushed against the wall and started swinging himself to and fro in his hammock, frowning in concentration.

Was Robotnik attempting to discredit him and Knuckles? It wouldn't be the first time if he was, but then why leave the originals alive? It didn't make any sense.

How had he even got there, anyway? The last thing Sonic really remembered was checking into the Mount Parrot Hotel with Tails a couple of nights before that gig, then waking up here.

There had to be a way out of this. They'd gotten in – somehow – so they must be able to get out again. It was only logical.

Swinging himself off the hammock, Sonic bounded through to the living room. Maybe Knuckles had some idea. He didn't think it was likely, but maybe.

The echidna glanced up at Sonic, then back at the book he was reading. Sonic took one look at the cover, remarked, "The dentist did it," and flung himself into an armchair.

The echidna snapped the book shut, scowling, then temper and frustration at their situation both got the better of him and he threw it at the hedgehog, scoring a direct hit.

"Hey!" Astonished, Sonic stared at Knuckles, rubbing his sore arm. "What was that for?"

"You know damn well what it was for, Sonic!" Surging to his feet, the echidna paced the small room, then whirled. "We have been locked up in this place for three days, every minute we spend here is a minute that Robotnik's duplicate of me could be stealing the Master Emerald and you expect me to be _happy_ about this?"

Sonic stared coldly at him, good mood gone. "News flash; you're not the only one who's worried about something out there. Tails is somewhere on his own with a pair of impostors and Bait's out there with a pair of _psychos_, or had you forgotten that?"

"How could I when you keep reminding me every chance you get?" Knuckles shot back.

"Yeah, well, there are other things in life besides that damn Master Emerald, Knucklehead!" They were inches away now, shouting at each other. "Or was all that crap you said to me about Tails back in Scrap Brain Zone a lie?"

"I am an echidna, Sonic." Now Knuckles' voice was deadly quiet. "I do not lie."

"Then you must be worried about Tails – I know you couldn't care less about Bait – but there are other people here besides you who have something on their mind, Knuckles!"

"The other people in question are the ones who got us into this mess, Sonic!" Knuckles whirled and stalked over to the door, yanked it open so hard it almost burst its hinges, then paused just long enough to add, "so don't fish for sympathy in a damn puddle!"

Stalking into his room, he slammed the door behind him.

"Well, _fine_!" Sonic yelled after him before racing into his own room and slamming his own door, if it was possible, even louder than the echidna had.

It was a good two hours later before Knuckles left his room again, and then it was only because the smoke alarm had gone off.

"Sonic!" Raising his voice above the shrill wailing, Knuckles stared around the deserted living room. "Where the hell are you?"

"In here, Knux!" Sonic's voice, now back to its usual perky tones, wafted out from inside the kitchen. There was a crack of electricity followed by the hedgehog saying, "Ow," and then the alarm squealed into silence.

"What was _that_ all about?" Knuckles asked, his own voice sounding faint in his ears.

"What? Oh, the smoke alarm?" Sonic emerged, holding a smoking frying pan in one hand. "I always said that thing was too sensitive. Here ya go, Knux; I made you a burger."

He offered up the frying pan for inspection. Knuckles studied it for a moment, then looked up at Sonic.

"You made me a coaster."

"Yeah, okay, okay!" Snatching the pan away from under the echidna's nose, Sonic wandered back into the kitchen and started trying to prise the food off the bottom of the pan with a butcher knife, the grinding noises setting Knuckles' teeth on edge. With the exception of chili dogs, cookery wasn't one of Sonic's skills.

Coming out with a pile of blackened disks on a plate, Sonic lay down on the couch, balancing the food on the far arm and stretching out on his stomach.

"Hey Knux, I been meaning to ask you. Just how'd you get here, anyway?"

Knuckles turned his head away, staring out the window. The party in Sky High Zone was all but over now; only a few diehards were still dancing, apparently oblivious to the fact that there was no longer any music playing.

"As I remember it, Sonic, it went like this; dark night, sleeping, getting hit on head by something, waking up here. Why, was it different for you?" He looked away. "Tails'll figure it out before long, anyway."

Sonic folded his arms. "You think? He hasn't so far!"

"He will, Sonic, when he and that double get back to Angel Island." The echidna stared unseeing out the window for a few minutes. "Oh. Right. He's with you again, isn't he?"

"Jealous?" Sonic asked. There was no jocularity in his voice; he was genuinely concerned. Following the death of Knuckles' sister, the echidna was in a dark enough mood as it was. If he was about to add jealousy of Sonic to the list...the hedgehog grimaced. If that was the case, then the atmosphere in this prison wasn't likely to improve.

Knuckles shrugged. "No I'm not. Sure I'll miss the kid, I don't mind admitting that, but if he wants to stick with you, that's his choice."

"Don't you feel _anything_?" Sonic demanded, staring at the echidna. "You care about Tails. I know you do."

The echidna shrugged again. "Yeah, I care about him. But let's face it, Sonic, my track record with people I care about isn't all that good. I lost both my parents – twice, in my mother's case – and my sister. Tails is just another one."

"Is that what it's all about?" Sonic said incredulously. "You start caring about someone and then you're counting the days until they abandon you or screw you over? Man, Knux, you remind me of Shadow!"

"Who?"

"An angsty guy I met on that other planet." Thinking of Shadow put Sonic in mind of something else and his eyes lit up. Man, why hadn't he thought of this earlier? "I got it!"

Knuckles eyed him warily. "Got what?"

"You ever heard of Chaos Control?"

Knuckles frowned. "No. What is it?"

"No idea," Sonic answered, then pulled out the light blue Chaos Emerald, tossing it idly in one hand. "But it can zap you between places pretty much instantly."

Knuckles' jaw fell open at the sight of the gem.

"Where did you get that one? I thought Robotnik took it months ago!"

"He did, Knux, but I got it back." Grinning at the echidna's expression, Sonic added, "Shadow uses these for Chaos Control."

Crossing the room, Knuckles sat down on the couch and swung his legs up. "Who the hell _is_ this Shadow you keep talking about?"

"You know. We met him in Casino Night Zone."

Knuckles thought, then shook his head. "I don't remember that."

"Sure you do. Black hedgehog? Scowls a lot? Hangs out with a killer robot?" When Knuckles shook his head again, Sonic rolled his eyes. "Threw me off a casino table?"

The echidna's face cleared. "Oh, _that_ guy."

"Yeah, _that_ guy. He uses the Chaos Emerald he's got to teleport himself places. Maybe we could do the same, you think?"

Knuckles considered. "It's possible. The Chaos Emeralds can warp themselves to the Special Zones. If you knew how to harness that warping power, I guess you could use it to go somewhere else. But I've never heard of such a thing. How did this Shadow learn it?"

"I..." Sonic paused, frowning slightly. "You know what? I never asked him. Though I guess Shadow wouldn't have told me anyway; that guy's not very chatty. Still, if Shadow does it, how hard can it be? Chaos—"

The echidna grabbed the Emerald away from the hedgehog. "Forget it! You don't know what these things can do!"

"Hm." Sonic furrowed his brow in a parody of a frown. "Give life, super-strength, speed, invincibility, invisibility, heal people and detect lies. Now gimme!"

Knuckles twisted, holding the Emerald out of reach. "There is a reason they're kept in the Special Zone, Sonic! In the wrong hands, they're dangerous!"

Sonic shivered slightly, remembering how Shadow had used the power of his own Chaos Emerald to kill Raker.

"Yeah. I know." He pondered for a few moments, then grinned. "Hey, I got it!"

"Again?" Knuckles muttered, not quite under his breath.

"_You_ took the Emeralds to the Special Zone that time, remember? When me and Tails crashed on your island? That means you gotta be able to open a portal to it. We go in, we come out six feet away and we're out!"

The echidna sighed. "You don't know how the whole Special Zone works, do you?"

Sonic grinned. "Nope, but I figure you probably do. I mean, c'mon, you're the expert on this kinda thing."

Knuckles sighed again. "Fine. The echidna name for it is _saran bi-gawarin_. Literally translated it means the place of change; the Special Zone exists outside of Mobius and alters itself to protect the Emeralds. The more that are removed, the more it tries to keep the few it has left. If it loses them all, it redesigns itself completely once it gets them back...and let's face it, it always does."

Sonic considered this for a few minutes, then finally said, "You mean it's alive? Like some weird sentient landscape?"

Knuckles shook his head. "I don't know what it is. My people created it to protect the Chaos Emeralds and I was the one who set up the entry points on Angel Island. I guess you'd do better to think of it as a kind of virtual reality simulation that's constantly reprogramming itself. You could go there – although I don't know what you'd find, since the Emeralds are all outside – but you'd never move in this place."

Sonic shrugged. "Maybe, but it's the only idea either of us have been able to come up with. Can you zap us there?"

The echidna considered. "I guess. We have a Chaos Emerald each, so we could both get into the Special Zone. I might – _might_ – be able to get us out at a different point, but I can't promise anything."

"Sweet! What can I do?"

"_You_ don't do anything." Knuckles hesitated, then tossed Sonic's Emerald back to its owner. "Here. You might as well take this, otherwise I'll wind up leaving you behind." For a few seconds, he was tempted to do that anyway, then reluctantly dismissed the idea.

"Okay, so I just stand here and look good." Sonic grinned, relieved at the prospect of their actually _doing _something. "I can handle that." He scrutinised his Emerald thoughtfully, staring into the light blue facets. "So what're we gonna see when we go? Or are we just gonna be there like that?" he snapped his fingers.

Knuckles shrugged. "I don't know. There was always a short pause before I arrived when I did this on Angel Island, but I kept my eyes shut for it."

"You ever wanted to keep 'em open?" Sonic asked, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"_No_!"

"C'mon, it'll be fun!"

Knuckles folded his arms, glaring at Sonic. "Fine. _You_ keep them open if you want. I'm going to have all I can do getting us in and out!"

For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, so faintly Sonic thought he was imagining it at first, a giant ring shimmered into view, identical to the ones he'd jumped through back on Angel Island. It was pale, almost like a ghost ring, but solid enough to make out.

"Nice going, Knux!" Grabbing the echidna, Sonic leapt through the ring seconds before it vanished again.

Blinding white light seared his vision, followed by intense agony. Sonic opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. He'd thought the pain he'd endured in Robotnik's fortress had been bad, but this felt like a powerful vacuum was trying to suck his skin off, ripping it away from the muscles and bones underneath.

A cacophony of shrieks from all around told him that the trick had worked, that he was outside the house. He hit the ground hard, sending a burst of raw pain through his body, and then everything went dark.

**Okay, so there you have it ;) Hope you enjoyed it and if you read, please review!**


	3. Tropical Blizzard

**Jarkes: You'll find out in good time ;)**

**D.C.111: Absolutely :P Hopefully things will clear up in the next couple of chapters :)**

**Pyro Hedgehog4Ever: Heh. Maybe, maybe not ;) And thanks, glad you liked it :D**

**Asher Tye: Well...nobody's saying it _wasn't_ Robotnik ;) **

**CalliopeMused: Thanks :D Yeah, it kinda makes sense :P As far as confusion goes...like I said, hopefully things will become clearer soon :)**

**Shin-Ashura: Oh yeah ;) As for that joke...ooh, since SA2 didn't take place in my universe (at least, not any parts of it where Shadow met the Sonic characters) that's actually tempting :P**

**shadow-spawn180: Thanks :) And as ordered, one next chapter**

**Forgotten Muse: Heh, thanks ;) Well...the last chapter did originally end with Sonic and Knuckles sipping tea and reading newspapers, but somehow it didn't feel right :P **

**Awdures: Thanks :D**

**Taranea: No problem ;) As for the rest of it...you'll find out in good time :D And thanks, glad you enjoyed it :D**

**Maverick87: (blushes) Thanks :)**

**HolyNightmare: Oh yeah ;) As for whether Robotnik's behind it, you'll find out soon enough**

**Matt Lans: Thanks :) And you'll find out who's behind the phenomenon pretty soon ;)**

_Maria,_

_This planet isn't so bad. Not that I hadn't explored a lot of it before the incident with the Void came up, but it's a damn sight better than Venus, or whatever the Mobian name for that world happens to be._

_At the moment I'm still with Omega. He's good company after a fashion, and we seem to work together quite well. At least he has more common sense than some people I could name._

_Like that damn blue hedgehog, for instance._

_--Shadow the Ultimate Life Form_

_Bait's Jurnal_

_Real hungry. I got a job but I met a gang wat keeps takeing my cash. Dunno wat Im gonna do._

_--Bait the Jakkel_

The sun was just creeping up over the horizon in Emerald Hill Zone when Shadow woke up. He and Omega had kept well away from the more populated areas of the Zone – Mobians had a tendency to panic whenever they saw Omega, and Shadow had rapidly discovered that this led to complications he could do without – and set up camp in one of the forests. Generally speaking, Emerald Hill residents didn't like people sleeping rough in their Zone, but Shadow had explained that he was the exception to this rule. The explanation had been concise, to the point and had vaporised everything within a fifty foot radius.

Sitting up, Shadow placed both hands in the small of his back and stretched, working out the kinks. It had been unusually cold in Emerald Hill lately; the normally sub-tropical Zone had been buried under snow that was two feet deep in places. If it hadn't been for Omega and the heat generated by the robot, Shadow didn't think he'd have stayed around.

Bad weather aside, though, this Zone with its look-after-number-one policy was the most suited to his own individual needs and tastes. Shadow was mostly left to himself; especially in this weather when most residents simply shut themselves inside their homes and waited for it to melt. Emerald Hill wasn't used to snow outside of the Diamond mountain range, had no real way of coping with it.

And this was snow with an attitude, Shadow thought grimly as he got to his feet and started to plough through the chest-high drifts. Species notwithstanding, there were times when he wished he was a little taller. It was hard going through two feet of snow when you yourself were only a few inches over three feet.

Was it worth enlisting Omega's help? Shadow considered the idea, then tossed it away irritably. Omega's enthusiasm with his flamethrower was matched only by his inaccuracy, and the black hedgehog didn't need a forest fire on top of everything else. He was half tempted to use Chaos Control, but the last time he'd done that in a public place he'd attracted screams, accusations of being a ghost and fourteen separate offers to buy his Chaos Emerald. Admittedly there weren't many residents out and about in this weather, but still...he rather liked this Zone and he didn't much fancy the idea of having to leave it. The food alone was some of the best he'd had, and Shadow hadn't even sampled a quarter of Emerald Hill's dishes yet. His food among the humans had been leftovers and ration packs, and this was the first opportunity he'd had to try something a little more flavoursome.

Most bars and restaurants welcomed Shadow, despite the fact that he never paid for anything. The black hedgehog didn't cause trouble, wasn't greedy and didn't go to the same place more than once a fortnight, and when he was there his love of peaceful mealtimes and tendency to break up any fights which disturbed this peace was voted by the owners as being well worth the price of the odd meal.

Shadow was returning with one of those meals in a bag – sweet and sour ribs with a side order of rice – when a hoarse voice from somewhere around knee level said, "You spare some change, mister?"   
The black hedgehog turned, patience finally snapping. This was the third time he'd been accosted; strangers were apparently considered tourists and therefore fair game for any beggars and/or street traders.  
"For the last damn time, I don't have any—" He broke off abruptly, staring. "_You_ again?"

"Shadow?"

Shadow's eyes, which had widened in incredulity, narrowed again. "Just what do I have to do to get rid of you, jackal?"

Bait, who was lying propped up on his elbows under a bush where the snow was shallower, shrugged. "Ain't my fault you come here, mister. I thought you was still back on South Island an' anyway, it's a free planet. I got just as much right to be here as you." He pushed himself up further, nostrils quivering rapidly at the scent of the food. It was easy to see that life on his own hadn't agreed with the jackal; he was little more than skin and bones. "Spare some food, mister?"

"I don't think so. I feed you once and you figure, hey, I'm onto a good thing here and then I can't get rid of you." Shadow tilted his head to one side slightly. "Although I seem to have difficulty with that regardless."

Bait's ears lifted hopefully. "Does that mean—"

"No." Shadow started to open the bag, then stopped. Even he wasn't callous enough to eat in front of someone who was starving; he was only too aware how that felt.

Bait shifted his weight. He hadn't eaten in two days and despite knowing how little hope there was of appealing to Shadow's charitable side – if such a thing even existed – he couldn't help trying.

"Jus' gimme a small taste, mister. Please?"

Shadow eyed Bait narrowly. "Were you talking to me, jackal?"

Bait nodded, although his gaze was so firmly fixed on the food hanging from Shadow's wrist that the black hedgehog could be forgiven for his acidic remark. As Shadow watched, the jackal's tongue flickered out to lick his lips hungrily.

_That does it_. Irritated, Shadow spun and started to walk away.

"Where you goin', mister?" Alarmed at the prospect of the food vanishing, Bait attempted to scramble to his feet and got tangled up in the bush. Yanking free at the expense of a large amount of fur, he tried getting to his feet only to find his legs wouldn't respond.

Half turning, Shadow snapped, "I'm going somewhere I can eat in peace, without you watching every single bite."

Bait licked his lips again. "You could gimme some food an' then I wunt watch you, mister."

"I'm not going to bargain with you for the right to eat my own food," Shadow informed him tersely.

Bait flattened his ears and glanced over his shoulder, as though afraid someone was chasing him. "Then c'n you keep movin', mister? 'Cause it ain't fair for me to have to smell it an' if you're standin' here I can't hardly ask people for money to buy food, can I?"

"Who says you have to buy it?"

The jackal looked away stubbornly. "Uh _uh_. I dunt steal stuff no more, mister."

Shadow shrugged. "Fine. Then I hope you enjoy living off other people's trash, because you have a serious amount of competition in the begging stakes."

The jackal's ears perked forward again, Shadow's mention of _trash_ giving him an idea.

"You could gimme the bones, mister. I mean, you're on'y gonna throw 'em out anyway so you might as well give 'em to me."  
"The..." Shadow reached into his bag, pulling out one of the ribs. He did it purely to buy time to think, but Bait had lunged and snatched the food before the black hedgehog could react and backed off under the bush with it, gnawing hungrily.

Shadow opened his mouth for an angry remark, then stopped. Something about the jackal's voracity fascinated even him; Bait had stripped the meat off the bone in a little under ten seconds.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you how to eat slowly?"

Bait shook his head, ears flat. "She dint teach me nothin', mister, 'cept for maybe never to jump into a pond with a rock tied 'round your neck. C'n I keep the bone?"

"For what?"

The jackal eyed it speculatively. "Marrow. It makes pretty good eatin' if you can get to it. Kinda hard with a rib but it's gotta be possible, right?"

"The..." Shadow stared at the jackal, not bothering to hide his distaste. "That's disgusting."

Bait shrugged. "'S more disgustin' when there's none, mister."

Shadow curled his lip and turned away. "Fine. Keep it if it means that much to you."

"Yeah!" Bait started gnawing the bone with a grinding sound that made Shadow's ears itch. "You got any more like that, mister, I c'n always take 'em off your hands. Like I said, you're on'y gonna chuck 'em away anyway, right?"

"Forget it," Shadow said flatly. He couldn't bring himself to demean the jackal by feeding him the trash that he himself wouldn't eat, not because of any softer feeling on his part, but because he'd been demeaned himself that way.  
"How come not?"

"I told you before; I'm not feeding you, jackal. It's everyone for himself in this Zone, and that suits me fine."

Bait nodded readily. "Okay. You spare some change then, mister?"

"Forget it," Shadow said again. "I already told you I don't have any money and even if I did I see no reason to hand it over to you, and don't waste my time by threatening me with violence."

The jackal flattened his ears. "No fear!" He still had vivid memories of the last few times he'd attempted to fight or get the better of Shadow. None of those times had ended well for him, although a small part of him knew that the black hedgehog had been pretty lenient on all occasions.

Well...if Shadow wasn't gonna give him any more food...Bait looked at the bone in his hand for a few seconds, then bit into it with a crack that made Shadow's teeth twinge in sympathy. Waste not, want not.

"Mister?"

"What?"

Bait used his teeth to scrape out some of the marrow, gulping it down with a slight grimace at the dusty texture, then fixed Shadow with a big-eyed look.

"Not a chance," the black hedgehog said tersely before the jackal opened his mouth.

"Not a chance a what?"

"Whatever you were working up to asking me. I didn't come here to help you out, jackal. I fed you, and that's a lot more than you had a right to expect. And no, I won't give you the bones."

Bait shifted his weight. The rib he'd eaten had been hot, delicious and had only seemed to increase the gnawing pain in his stomach. Shadow was probably going to take the rest out soon, otherwise they'd get cold, and then he could probably get the pickings without too much trouble. But still...

"Not even as a favour, mister?"

Shadow curled his lip. "You had your favour from me, jackal, and you used it up. You had me Chaos Control you to Scrap Brain, remember? Because you wanted to go back to that blue hedgehog?"  
Bait flattened his ears. "But Sonic dint wanna know me."   
Leaning against a tree, the bag of food now dangling from his wrist, Shadow folded his arms across his chest and eyed the jackal with open contempt.

"We'll never know that for sure, since you were too cowardly to ask him to take you back, but that's neither here nor there. I took you to Scrap Brain as we agreed. It was up to you what you did from there...and a little tip for you in the future, jackal, if you want someone to do a favour for you, you'd do better asking them and not their breakfast."

Bait jerked as though Shadow had pinched him, then shifted his gaze guiltily to the hedgehog's face.

"Okay. You spare some change?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "You're skating on damn thin ice, jackal. Tell me, which part of the word _no_ was unclear?"

Bait opened his mouth to deliver some vague, evasive answer, then caught sight of Shadow's expression and abruptly decided to come clean.

"It works sometimes, mister. People gimme money jus' to get rid of me."

"And if I had any money and if I thought it would _work_, I would willingly hand over every damn Mobium to get rid of you," Shadow informed him, "but since I _don't_..." He let the sentence trail off.

Still unconvinced that the black hedgehog was telling the truth, that he really didn't have any money, Bait sat up and folded his arms stubbornly.

"You gotta have _somethin'_, 'cause otherwise you couldn'ta got that food. They ain't big on helpin' people an' charity here, mister."

"Well, you should know," Shadow remarked, letting his gaze travel over Bait's thin, dirty body.

The jackal winced slightly. He'd forgotten how formidable an opponent Shadow could be, not just physically but mentally as well. Bait had been working up to demanding Shadow hand over any food and/or cash he might have, but something in the hedgehog's comment had deflated him in record time.

As though reading his mind, Shadow added, "And _please_ don't attempt to mug or pick a fight with me, jackal, because that joke is getting very old very _fast_."

Bait shrugged. "Everythin's worth a try, mister. 'Sides, you'd either have to give in or chuck that bag at me an' then I'd get _all_ your food, 'cause you can't fight while you're holdin' it." Something in Shadow's raised eye ridge prompted the jackal to add, "Least, not much." A chill wind blew past, stirring up eddies of snow and Bait sniffed the air, sampling the tantalising fragrance of the hot food again. "So are you gonna eat that stuff, mister, or didja jus' buy it to look at?"

"I'm not eating it around you, if that's what you're thinking. I'm taking it back."

The jackal's ears perked. This could work to his advantage if he played it right; he'd followed people before and they'd tossed him something just to be rid of him...

"C'n I tag along?"

"No," Shadow stated in a tone which left no room for argument and which promptly dashed Bait's hopes into the ground. "I've only just got rid of you from the last time you 'tagged along' with me."

Pushing himself away from the tree, he spun on his heel and strode away. He'd got all of five yards when there was a high pitched yelp from behind him and he turned instinctively; there was no way he could have stopped himself. Bait had unfortunately picked the wrong person to beg from and got a hard kick for his troubles, one which not only connected but physically lifted him off the ground and sent him a full yard down the path. Unabashed at his actions, his assailant – a large anteater with a heavily muscled body and a snout that had clearly been broken at least twice – walked on down the path, swerving only to avoid Shadow; stories about the black hedgehog travelled fast, and it wasn't worth picking a fight with him to find out if they were true.

Shadow noticed the action, just as he noticed everything else, but dismissed it as unimportant. Something about the sight of Bait lying there with the snow falling onto him and people just stepping over and around his semi-conscious body disturbed the black hedgehog deeply, although he couldn't say why.

"Damn it all to hell," Shadow snarled under his breath, separating each word distinctly from the others and placing a strong emphasis on all of them, then he took a step in Bait's direction and raised his voice. "Hey!"

**Okay, I meant to have this up on Friday, but I finally got my Nintendo Wii and my copy of _Sonic and the Secret Rings_ and that cut writing time by about ninety percent :P Anyway, hope you enjoy it and if you read, please review!**


	4. Your Worst Nightmare

**CalliopeMused: Oh yeah; _viva _the Wii :D And thanks :) Shadow's fun to write; he's just so...unique**

**RiverAiden: Heh, yeah; almost makes me feel sorry for Shadow ;) As for Robotnik, oh don't worry; he'll play a fair-sized part in this :P**

**shadow-spawn180: Thanks :) Bait's accent...it's not really from one region or another; it's more an amalgamation of accents. I guess if I had to put a place label on it it's closest to Peckham (South London/cockney/Del Trotter) but it's not really that either. Tricky one...**

**Maverick87: (raises eyebrows) Says who? ;)**

**Jarkes: Yeah, poor Shadow :P**

**KR Mitchell: Well...I have to admit that Tails is likely to take something of a back seat in this story. That's not to say he won't be in it; just that he won't be a major character like he was in the last four stories.**

**Matt Lans: Yeah, Shadow has a soft side...in the same way that molten lava kind of has a soft side ;)**

**Milette Tails Prower: I know :P I revel in my cruelty and cliffhangers ;) Shadow's journal...no, he hasn't had one before (at least, not a public one). I did reboot Shadow's history to a certain extent, you're right...basically, everything happened on the ARK like it did in SA2. The only difference is that instead of being placed into stasis and buried under Prison Island, Shadow was captured by the military. Ergo, no Robotnik and no SA2, if that makes sense ;)**

Sonic looked around. The first thought was that this place was completely unfamiliar, followed almost immediately by the knowledge that this was nonsense, that this was _home_.

_What..._?

He didn't seem to have control over anything except his own thoughts; as far as moving went, it was like being puppeted by someone else.

He sniffed the air curiously. Interesting smells, mostly flowers and plants, but that wasn't what had woken him up, was it?

Turning his head, Sonic observed the flashing lights on the cave wall and tipped his head on one side inquisitively. What _was_ that? Visitors?

Curious, he pushed himself to his feet. He looked down while he was doing so and Sonic caught sight of small hands with baby spikes that were just visible.

_Knuckles_! The truth came to him in a flash, although he was at a loss to explain how it had happened or what it meant. _How...what..._

He stepped as quietly as he could away from the shape on the ground and raced over to the cave mouth, peering out.

It was late at night, but Sonic couldn't tell any more than that other than he was up in the mountains. In the sky, coloured lights danced and flickered around, illuminating the snowy peaks and for long moments he just stood there drinking in the sight before turning and racing back into the cave to where a figure was lying on the ground.

Sonic recognised her as his mother even though he'd never seen her before in his life. Part of him seemed to have merged with Knuckles' psyche, giving him access to the echidna's thoughts and memories. Curious, he tried to peer inside for a glimpse of Knuckles' father and his consciousness was flooded with the image of a broken, torn, bleeding and shattered body impaled on spikes, flies buzzing eagerly around empty red sockets and dodging half-hearted snaps from the carrion birds.

Sonic's vision wobbled crazily as he shook his head, apparently to rid himself of the memory, and continued towards his mother. The hedgehog didn't try to stop it; he seemed to be more of an observer than a controller, and his mind (was it still his?) was still reeling from the image of Knuckles' father.

"Mom?" Sonic said, and mentally blinked; hearing a high-pitched child's voice coming out of Knuckles' mouth was weird. Not only that; he was speaking in Sagayan and somehow Sonic understood every word. "Hey mom, c'mon, you gotta see this! It's real amazing!" Sonic reached out and shook the echidna, who didn't respond. "Mo-om! C'mon, wake up, I gotta show you something!"

Nothing.

"Mom?" Anxious now – why was she so cold? – Sonic dropped onto all fours and shuffled around on his knees until he was behind the other echidna, then he put both hands on her shoulder and shook her. "Mom, wake up. C'mon, please wake up."

There was no reaction. Sonic inserted small hands underneath the female and lifted. Even in his old body (_man, did I really just think that_, he thought grimly) he would have struggled slightly with that much dead weight, but Knuckles' strength moved it as easily as Sonic would have moved a cardboard cut out.

Clambering onto the echidna's body, Sonic peered down into the female's face. To the adult part of him, it was clear that the female had been dead for some time; half-lidded eyes stared sightlessly at the ceiling and there was a hard wooden quality to the limbs.

Slowly, as though he could hardly believe what was happening, Sonic backed away. He could feel emotions starting to stir inside him; fear and disbelief coupled with a sudden sense of isolation. If his mother was dead, and there were no other echidnas on the island...

The surroundings spun as Sonic whirled and bolted. He didn't know the paths very well, but Knuckles did; the echidna's body carried him out the cave and down the mountain at near-breakneck speed without so much as a stumble and didn't stop until Marble Garden Zone, where he burrowed into the long grass and lay face down, not moving.

Sonic knew that it was a fake, a trick to set Knuckles up for an even larger scheme, but that didn't make it easier...in fact, if anything, it made it far harder.

_What kind of mother pulls a stunt like that on a kid Knuckles' age?_ he wondered, furious on the echidna's behalf.

His heart ached for the puggle currently lying face down in Marble Garden Zone. In a way it would have been better if Knuckles had cried; this empty feeling was unsettling. Every fibre wanted to try and comfort him, wanted to hug him or do whatever he could to make the pain better, but all he could do was watch.

Besides, there was still the strong possibility that even at this age, if he'd been in a position to do such a thing, little Knuckles would probably have bopped him on the nose. Under the circumstances, Sonic could do nothing but wait.

* * *

Knuckles was in severe pain, and not in the way he'd expected. He was strapped to a board by his wrists, tightly enough to be uncomfortable without actually dangerous. Something that felt like a plastic bag had been placed lightly over the lower part of his face, covering everything from his eyes down and leaving the forehead exposed. Knuckles knew this because water was dripping onto the centre and had been for the past two hours. It had been nothing more than an irritation at first, but the water had gradually worn away the skin over that time – something he would have considered impossible if it hadn't been happening to him – and with that had come the pain. The drops were too regular to ignore and besides, the steadily growing agony made that impossible anyway. For all Knuckles knew, he'd be trapped here until the water wore through his damn skull and started impacting on the brain itself.

What made matters worse was the fact that he couldn't move. He could feel everything (although his extremities were pretty much numb) but none of his limbs would respond to his mental urging.

And then, quite suddenly, it stopped. Knuckles hesitated, momentarily thrown by this new development, then felt his eyes widen as he heard footsteps.

"Long time no see," Robotnik said pleasantly as he stepped into view. "I see you're bleeding." He shook his head, smiling slightly. "Dear me, however did that happen?"

Knuckles felt himself grin, then he heard Sonic's voice coming out of his mouth.

"I musta tripped on my way in, doc."

"Of course. Still, I can't have injured people in my home. I suppose I'd better wash it out for you."

"Huh?" Knuckles swallowed hard, eyeing the doctor warily. "No thanks. Just lemme outta here, give me a coupla chili dogs and a plaster, I won't smash up your fortress and we'll call it even."

"Hmm." Robotnik appeared to consider the thought, then his smile broadened. "That's a tempting thought, Sonic, I must admit."

_Sonic? Did he just call me Sonic_? Knuckles stared at him and opened his mouth to protest, but his lips wouldn't respond.

"Yeah, so c'mon doc, whaddaya say?"

Robotnik pursed his lips. "As I said, it's a tempting prospect, Sonic. But unfortunately for you, it's not nearly as tempting as trying out a few more of my people's customs, especially after I've been saving them up specially for you." His grin changed, became pure evil. "Tell me, have you ever heard of waterboarding?"

"Water-what?" Knuckles started to say before a gush of water hit him full in the face. He gasped reflexively, inhaling the bag and started to panic, thrashing about wildly in search of oxygen.

After twenty seconds, Robotnik shut off the water and leaned forward. Peeling the plastic bag out of his victim's mouth, he rolled it up enough to leave the mouth clear while blocking any flow of oxygen through the nose and then sat back, waiting patiently until the hedgehog stopped gasping.

Making a couple of adjustments, he fired another jet of water into Knuckles' face. Acting purely on instinct, Knuckles swallowed the liquid as it hit his mouth in a desperate bid to stop from drowning.

He didn't know how long it went on for. Long enough for his stomach to become uncomfortably full of water, and if the desperate choking and shortness of breath was anything to go by, Knuckles thought that his lungs weren't far off either.

Robotnik lessened the pressure gradually, easing the water off until it was nothing more than a trickle, and then even that was shut off. Stretching up, he cracked his knuckles in a businesslike manner and pushed a button, rotating the platform Knuckles was strapped to until it was upside down.

Any worries that the doctor might be about to dunk him were eclipsed by the bursting agony in Knuckles' chest, and he shrieked. There was no way on Mobius he could have stopped himself.

"Yes." Robotnik smiled broadly. "At this moment, Sonic, your already extremely full stomach is pressing on your lungs and heart. Painful, isn't it?" He shook his head. "You know, I could leave you there to die."

"Why don't you?" Knuckles choked out around the pain.

"Because, as long and lingeringly excruciating as such a death would be, it would still be over too quickly as far as I'm concerned." Robotnik flipped the platform almost upright again, the sudden movement causing Knuckles to groan. "Now I'm not an unfair man, Sonic, so I'll give you a choice. Do you want me to do that again?" Robotnik smiled broadly. "Because I'm more than happy to."

Knuckles barely heard him. His body was shaking violently and he was racked with a lung-bursting cough, trying to vomit up water and choking on it instead.

"Oh, how remiss of me. I seem to have forgotten to finish resetting the platform." Robotnik pushed a button and the board slanted fully upright. Knuckles' muscles screamed in agony as the too-thin restraints took the weight of his body, but he didn't notice; all he cared about was that this new position enabled him to vomit up the water that had been forced into his lungs and stomach. There was more there than he seemed to remember inhaling, and when he'd finished throwing up rancid water it was a long time before he was breathing properly again. There was a heavy pain across his lungs, as though an invisible fist was squeezing them hard. He coughed, hitched and expelled another smaller quantity of water before hanging limp on the board, utterly drained and shuddering all over.

"Better now?" Robotnik's voice was awash with false sympathy. "That water isn't the best quality, I admit; it's only been filtered through a few times at this point." He steepled his fingers and regarded Knuckles over the tips. "Now, as I was saying, I'll give you a choice. Cooperate and I'll stop all this."

Knuckles somehow managed to find his voice. "You mean...you'll let me go?"

"Well, that rather depends on your definition of letting someone go, Sonic, but yes, in a way. Cooperate and I'll kill you quickly and reasonably painlessly." The doctor paused. "As I said before, Sonic; do you want me to do that again?"

Knuckles shook his head furiously, not in denial but to clear it. His sinuses had flooded completely and he was still snorting out water and trying desperately not to think of whatever Robotnik was going to do to him next.

"No?" Mistaking Knuckles' reaction for refusal, Robotnik smiled. "Then tell me where your little fox friend is."

Knuckles choked. "Tails? What do you want with him?"

"He seems to have got the unfortunate notion that he can compete with and stop me. He's wrong, of course, but I would prefer to eliminate him sooner rather than later."

"You're sick." The words were hoarse, but perfectly clear. "He's just a little kid."

"Sick I may be, Sonic," Robotnik said pleasantly, "but strapped to a board in my enemy's stronghold I'm not. Either we go through this whole performance again, or you tell me where to find Tails and I'll kill you and do it to him instead."

Knuckles drew in a deep, shuddering breath and shook his head, eyes closed. "Forget it. Drown me, Robotnik, burn me, torture me…do what you want; I'll never give you that kid."

Robotnik shrugged. "As you like." He snapped his fingers and one of his robots clanked forward, holding something even Knuckles had no trouble recognising as an electrical stunner.

"You're crazy!" he said aloud. "Using electricity with so much water around...you don't know what that could do!"

"Hmm." Robotnik appeared to consider the matter, then abruptly grinned. "I think it could hurt, Sonic. In fact, I think it could hurt a _lot_." He paused. "Unless you want to tell me where to find your little friend—"

"Go to hell, doc," Knuckles grated.

Robotnik laughed out loud. "After you!"

Knuckles opened his mouth to reply but at that moment the robot jammed its stunner into his ribs and the words were lost in a high scream of pain.

At that point, the world went dark and when Knuckles came to, he was lying horizontally again not six feet away from Robotnik. Furious, he lunged for him only to be brought up short on the restraints.

Robotnik shook his head, clicking his tongue pityingly. "Sonic, Sonic, Sonic. Did you think I'd put you this near me if I thought there was the slightest chance you could hurt me?" He grinned. "Do credit me with some sense."

Knuckles stared at him in hatred, breath rasping in his throat.

"You want to be safe from me, Robotnik? You're going to have to kill me and kill me _now_. Because I can't see you sitting on your outsize butt for the rest of your life—"

"Oh no, Sonic," Robotnik agreed placidly. "Only for the rest of _yours_."

Ignoring him, Knuckles continued. "And at some point, doc, I'll get free, and then I'll come for you. No second chances, no letting you slink away; I'll chase you to the ends of Mobius if I have to, but you are _finished_."

Robotnik chuckled. The sound seemed to go on for too long to Knuckles, who suddenly strained against his restraints again to be met with the same results as before.

Still smirking, Robotnik tipped his head on one side. "Tell me something, Sonic. How do you intend to chase me to the ends of Mobius without any feet?"

Panic shot through Knuckles and he performed what could best be described as a mental retreat, attempting to hide inside his (Sonic's?) mind.

_Not that. Please, if anyone's listening; I don't want to go through that. Not—_

* * *

"—that." For a moment Knuckles heard his voice and thought he was still trapped, that the nightmare had blurred to produce a hideous kind of reality, then he realised he was sitting up in bed. The few sheets he hadn't managed to kick off were soaked in sweat and he had no idea where he was, and seeing Sonic on a bed opposite and apparently in the same situation didn't do much for his peace of mind.

Catching sight of Knuckles, Sonic managed to paste a grin on his face.

"Hey Knux. How's it going?" The grin faltered and finally slipped off completely and he lifted the glass of water on the bedside table with a hand that shook so violently he almost spilled the contents.

"Next time, _listen_ to me," Knuckles grated, although the things he'd just seen made it hard for him to be really angry with the hedgehog.

Sonic shuddered violently, almost like he had a fever.

"You got it." He swung his legs over the side of the bed, only to find his knees shook too hard to support his weight. "What _happened_ to us?"

Knuckles shook his head. Although he was physically unharmed, he felt drained mentally and emotionally.

"Nothing happened," he said tersely as one question flashed over and over in his mind; if he'd been in Sonic's memories, just where had Sonic got to?

"Well, maybe nothing for you, but—"

"_Nothing. Happened_." Knuckles stared Sonic in the face, daring him to continue. Whatever the hedgehog had seen – if anything – Knuckles didn't want to know about.

Sonic opened his mouth to argue, read the message in the echidna's eyes and nodded instead.

"Yeah. You're right. Nothing. I just, uh, got a little spaced out, had a bad dream, yadda yadda yadda." He frowned slightly, studying the echidna as if seeing him for the first time.

"Whatever," Knuckles said a little edgily; he didn't like that look in Sonic's eyes. "Anyway, it worked; we're outside."

Sonic preened. "Sure we are, Knux! Just like I planned it!" He glanced around. "I dunno what we're doing in hospital though."

"Hospital?" Knuckles echoed.

"Sure. Can't you smell that antiseptic?" Sonic inhaled deeply, like the smell was that of a really good dinner.

Knuckles sniffed. "Yeah. Now you mention it, I can." He shivered slightly; hospitals had never been high on his list of desirable places to visit.

The echidna got abruptly to his feet, then had to grab the bedside table for support as his legs buckled. Slowly, teeth gritted and body tense in a way that just _dared_ Sonic to comment, Knuckles pulled himself up until he was leaning over the table, supporting most of his weight on his hands.

"You know, that's probably not such a good idea," Sonic remarked.

"The hell you say." Knuckles leaned back slightly and lifted one hand away from the table. So far so good.

He took the other one away and managed to stand upright this time. For about two seconds.

"Jeez, Knux, would you just lie back down and relax?" Sonic took another swallow of water, watching the echidna with amusement.

"No." Knuckles pulled himself across the floor and over to Sonic's bed. "Not while those...those _things_ are out there. How the hell you can be so laid-back—"

"Because I'm smarter than you, Knucklehead," Sonic informed him, grinning as the echidna turned to glare at him. "Chill. I'm just saying that the quicker we recover from what happened or didn't happen to us, the quicker we get out there after them." When the echidna stubbornly tried to push himself upright again, Sonic rolled his eyes. Typical Knuckles.

"Or you could keep pushing yourself until you pass out and waste hours being unconscious." Sonic became serious again. "Besides, our doubles didn't do anything we wouldn'ta done."

Knuckles opened his mouth for a stinging remark, then closed it again, frowning slightly.

"Yeah. Odd. You'd think if Robotnik created them, he'd use them to wreck the place and destroy any faith in you."

Sonic shook his head. "He's tried that, Knux, and he never uses the same idea twice. Whatever he's got planned, it's gotta be more subtle. Besides, why would he copy you? Nobody has any faith in you now, never mind after you've smashed the place up."

"Thanks," Knuckles said acerbically.

"It's true though. You're nowhere near as famous as me." There was no conceit in Sonic's tones – or at least not much – he was stating a fact.

The echidna started to get up again, then thought better of it and settled for kneeling by Sonic's bed instead.

"So what do we do? Tails is out there with that pair—"

Sonic's laughter cut him off midsentence. "Haven't you figured it out yet, Knux? Tails is more than capable of taking care of himself without us holding his hand. And anyway, I'm fast enough to catch 'em." Lacing his hands behind his head, he stared at the ceiling, humming a tune.

"How can you be so damn flippant about it?" Knuckles demanded.

"Natural talent," Sonic answered cheerfully. In fact he was putting it on; all the time he could keep upbeat and happy, he could avoid thinking about what he'd seen inside Knuckles' head. "Hey Knux?"

"What?"

"I know nothing weird happened to _me_ when we went through that ring, but did it happen to you?"

Knuckles hesitated, remembering the shock as the water hit, the agony in his stomach, that damn feeling of helplessness...

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said flatly.

Sonic didn't answer. Despite his words to Knuckles, he was already champing at the bit. If only he didn't feel so damn _weak_...

Relaxing, he let his eyes droop shut, telling himself that it would only be for a few minutes, just a few, but tiredness overtook him and he was asleep in minutes.

**So Sonic and Knuckles are out, sort of :P Kind of weird but still...hope you enjoyed it and if you read, please review :)**


	5. Return of the Doctor

**Awdures: Heh. I'm glad to hear that, 'cause there's gonna be plenty more weird on the way :P**

**HolyNightmare: Thanks :) Tails...to be honest, he's not going to have a very big part in this one, not until Sonic and Knuckles meet the clones (which will happen fairly soon ;))**

**CalliopeMused: Yeah, I've heard about that 'alternative interrogation technique', just like I heard the toughest CIA officers who volunteered themselves for it lasted about fourteen seconds before cracking. Some interrogation :P**

**Pyro Hedgehog: Yep, that was pretty much it ;)**

**Asher Tye: Thanks, glad you liked it :D The creepy factor...heh, well, I've never tried real torture scenes before, so I'm pleased it worked out like it did :)**

**Jarkes: Heh. You got it :P**

**D.C.111: Heh, thanks :D As far as clearing up some of the confusion goes...read on ;)**

**Matt Lans: What indeed? ;)**

**shadow-spawn180: Well, that's one way of putting it :P**

**Taranea: Oh yes, Shadow and his journal are here to stay ;) As for the torture...okay, okay. No more graphic details. Promise ;)**

**Milette Tails Prower: Thanks, and you'll find out soon enough ;)**

**Maverick87: Thanks :D I think you could be right...some respect for Sonic is **_**definitely**_** in order ;)**

**Parslie: Thanks :D**

**thepennameboo: Thanks :)**

_Maria,_

_I'm starting to think that damn jackal is stalking me. I thought I'd seen the last of him when I dumped him in Scrap Brain Zone._

_I have to admit I'm somewhat stymied. It's clear that the cub doesn't want to pick up where we left off __re:__ his brother's death, avenging of. So what the hell __does__ he want with me?_

_--Shadow the Ultimate Life Form_

_Bait's Jurnal_

_Found Shaddoe agen. Dont wanna bug him but he giv me food. Maybe he can giv me mor food if I agree to go away._

_--Bait the Jakkel_

"This is only a temporary arrangement," Shadow said for the third time in the ten minute journey. "You understand that?"

Bait nodded vigorously, although he couldn't suppress the wagging of his tail no matter how hard he tried. Even Shadow's company was better than no company at all.

"Yeah mister. Once things pick up, you're gonna dump me again, right?"

"Correct. I've got better things to do than watch over some kid." Shadow swerved around a fallen tree. He was furious with himself for what he perceived as giving in, and taking the bulk of that fury out on the jackal. "On that subject, I'm laying down some ground rules. One," he looked at Bait's too-active tail and curled his lip, "keep the cute puppy act to yourself; it doesn't work on me." 

Bait ducked his head. "I can't help it, mister. 'S like a reflex. All the other jackals c'n control it but I can't." He shrugged. "Dunno why."

"Probably because all the other jackals are far more emotionally mature than you could ever hope to be," Shadow answered, a little too bluntly for Bait's taste.

The jackal shrugged. "Like I said, I can't help the tail thing, mister. I ain't doin' it to get nothin' outta you; it jus' does it by itself."

"Fine. Rule two; mention your dead and unlamented brother to me in any way, shape or form and I'll throw you out of wherever we happen to be at the time." 

"Does that rule mean never mentionin' Raker's name, or jus' never mentionin' the fact that you murdered him?"

Shadow folded his arms. "Either way, jackal, you just broke it." 

"That ain't fair!" Bait protested loudly before remembering who he was talking to and shutting his mouth with a snap. 

"Life isn't fair, jackal; don't tell me you haven't worked that one out yet." Studying Bait's stricken expression for a few minutes, Shadow relented. The jackal was right; that was low even for him. "You can talk about your brother all you like, but don't expect me to listen to you. Connect him with me, however, and you'll be out so fast you'll leave a trail of melted snow behind you." Shadow paused to observe the effect of this on Bait and when the jackal didn't say anything, nodded slightly. Slowing to a halt, he stared hard at Bait, now speaking distinctly and so coldly the jackal felt the fur on his back rise. "Rule three; if I find you so much as _thinking_ about trying to steal my Chaos Emerald, you will wish I'd left you to die." When the jackal opened his mouth, Shadow raised a warning hand, cutting him off. "I allowed you to live the first time you attempted such an insane thing, jackal. Do not depend on such leniency a second time."

Bait looked away, ears drooping and didn't answer. In fact, he no longer had any intention or desire to steal Shadow's Emerald; he couldn't use it for Chaos Control and Shadow's likely reaction if the jackal stole the gem and sold it for money was enough to make Bait's insides wither just thinking about it.

"I don't wanna steal nothin' from you, mister."

"That's not good enough. I don't _want_ to have you tagging along. That doesn't mean I won't."

Bait ducked his head. "Okay, fine. I ain't gonna take your precious Em'rald, mister, 'cause I can't use it an' you wunt lemme sell it anyhow. _That_ good enough?"

"For now." Shadow suspected that if he'd demanded Bait throw himself against a tree six times before breakfast on alternate Tuesdays, the jackal would have agreed.

"So...keep it zipped 'bout Raker, what's yours is yours an' no tryin' to change the rules by givin' you puppy-dog eyes, an' then I c'n tag along?"

"Correct." Shadow hesitated. He wasn't actually cruel, and - much as he disliked the idea of being saddled with the jackal - even he could admit that there wasn't much point in rescuing Bait from starvation and hypothermia on the side of the path only to subject him to the same things in Shadow's own camp. "As far as food goes..." 

"Yeah?" Bait's head swung around to stare at Shadow hopefully, tail going with renewed vigour.

"If you're expecting me to feed you, then you eat as and when I do. Anything else you manage to find, beg or scrounge is yours. I won't take it from you, but I won't help you get it either."

Bait opened his mouth, shut it, then forced it open to make what was for him the supreme sacrifice.

"'Sokay mister. I dunt mind sharin' it." 

"That's up to you." Shadow's expression was as cold and unmoved as ever, but Bait fancied his voice might have softened very slightly. Then again, he'd fancied the same thing about Raker before now and got nine kinds of crap kicked out of him for his troubles. In the jackal's mind, Shadow was categorised as half Sonic, half Raker, although Bait was smart enough to keep that particular gem to himself. He didn't think the black hedgehog would appreciate either comparison.

Bait pressed slightly closer, attracted by the smell of food that was still wafting out the bag Shadow was carrying. Twisting around, the black hedgehog shot him a look.

"Get the hell away from me, jackal. I'm not your damn friend."

The jackal licked his lips, unoffended. "You got food though, right mister? Want me to carry the bag for you?"

"I don't think so." Shadow scrutinised Bait's expression thoroughly. It was probably a genuine offer on the jackal's part, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Bait had more personal reasons for wanting to be in charge of the food, and none of them were particularly altruistic. "I give you this and I won't get so much as a look-in."

Bait put as much appeal into his brown eyes as he could, opening them wide and perking both ears forward. "I wunt eat it, mister." Something in Shadow's cold stare prompted him to add, "Least...not _all_ of it."

"I said no." Shadow increased his speed, stalking into the clearing he'd made his home. "Omega? We have a _guest_," he informed the robot, in much the same tones as he'd have used to announce a cockroach infestation.

Omega's head swivelled to regard Bait for a few seconds, during which the jackal hardly dared to breathe, then the robot looked back at the black hedgehog.

"Is the jackal stalking you?"

"I'm beginning to wonder," Shadow muttered.

Omega clicked and whirred for a few moments, then said, "I have a solution."

"Does it involve heavy weaponry and/or large quantities of explosives?" People who hung out with Omega for any length of time soon learned the value of questions like that.

"Affirmative."

"Then forget it." Much as he disliked Bait, Shadow didn't want to kill him, didn't want blood that young on his hands. Crossing the glade, he settled down at a particular spot and started digging in the snow, eventually unearthing the ring of stones that served as his firepit. In these temperatures, a fire wasn't just a comfort; it was a necessity.

There was a scuffling sound and Bait plonked himself down on the opposite side of it, not daring to move any closer to Shadow until a gust of wind blew the scent of food towards him. The jackal's stomach took control of his body and he scrambled forward, clambering over Shadow's legs, every muscle straining towards the food.

"Oh, for..." Irritated, Shadow snatched up the bag and swung it at Bait, hard enough to knock the jackal onto his back. "Eat!"

Bait hesitated for a few moments and then, when it became clear Shadow meant it, opened the bag and dived in. There was the sound of rapid eating and snuffling from inside and Shadow looked away, lip curled. He'd just lost his appetite.

It was a few minutes before Bait emerged, sauce and a few grains of rice smeared all over his snout and tail wagging furiously.

Shadow stared at him, not bothering to hide his distaste.

"You're disgusting."

Bait's tail lost a lot of its wag at Shadow's tone, but the jackal still managed to shrug the comment off.

"Yeah, mister, but least I'm full. You jus' never been that hungry before, 'sall."

"I beg to differ, jackal; I just never made such an exhibition of myself when the food did arrive, that's all." Shadow glanced at Bait and then looked away again, distaste plain on his face. "Get some snow and clean yourself up; I don't want to have to look at you like that."

It was on the tip of Bait's tongue to retort that Shadow never bothered to look at him anyway, but vivid memories of the treatment he'd received last time from the black hedgehog kept him quiet.

Reaching down, he grabbed a handful of snow and started rubbing his face with it and then, when Shadow didn't seem to object, sat down opposite him.

"What happened to your sneakers?" Shadow asked idly.

Bait glanced down to his bare feet and shrugged bravely. "Sold 'em, mister, dint I? I had to get some cash from somewhere."

"Hm." Shadow studied the fire for several seconds. "How much did you get?"

"Two an' a half Mobiums plus another half for the gloves." Bait squirmed closer to the fire, wincing slightly as the heat pierced his numb feet.

"Three Mobiums for the whole outfit?" Shadow echoed. "Then you were robbed, jackal, and robbed blind."

Bait shrugged again. "I know. But it got me money an' that got me food for two days, so it were worth it. An'...an' one day I'll get that money back an' buy better sneakers."

"That blue hedgehog would buy them for you."

The jackal started shaping the snow into a little hillock, not meeting Shadow's eyes. "Yeah...well...I ain't no charity case, mister. I got my pride."

The black hedgehog snorted, half scornfully, half derisively. "Clearly. I could see that when you grovelled on your belly at my feet and begged for spare change."

"I wunt grov'llin'!" Stung by Shadow's words, Bait struggled to his feet, glaring at the hedgehog. "You jus' take that back, Shads!"

Shadow's eyes flicked up to Bait's and held them. The black hedgehog didn't say anything, didn't do anything more threatening than simply stare at him, but the jackal suddenly felt chilled in a way that had nothing to do with the weather.

Hunching over, Bait sat back down again, feeling sick. The food he'd just bolted seemed to have turned into a soft, hot ball of lead inside his stomach and he swallowed grimly, fought to keep the food down. Somehow he didn't think that vomiting all over the campfire Shadow had only just managed to get going would impress the black hedgehog.

Shadow was just wondering a) if he could be bothered to go back for some more food and b) if the damn jackal would actually let him eat it in peace this time when a hum of machinery drew his attention upwards to where a huge battleship was cruising slowly through the sky.

_Robotnik?_ More to himself than the jackal, Shadow murmured, "Now what does _he _want?"

Bait looked up and flattened his ears. "That the doc?"

"Do you know anyone else who flies around in mechanical factories like that?" Shadow asked rhetorically.

"_Eradicate_!"

Shadow was ready for it and knocked Bait to the ground as Omega launched a barrage of missiles. Most fired straight up towards Robotnik's battleship, but when the smoke cleared, there were several gaps in the trees and miniature craters that the black hedgehog was sure hadn't been there previously.

"Interesting." Pushing himself to his feet, Shadow craned his head back, following the movement of the ship. "I wonder where it's heading."

Omega clanked over, melting snow hissing all around him and said, "Destination unknown. Databanks show a ninety eight percent probability of landing somewhere on this island."

"Hm." A slight gleam appeared in Shadow's eyes. "If I were Robotnik—"

"You would be eradicated," Omega stated, swinging one huge cannon up to bear on the black hedgehog. Bait yelped – whether out of fear for Shadow or the possibility that he'd get caught in the crossfire, the black hedgehog didn't know and didn't much care either. He and Omega had had this conversation several times before.

Reaching out, Shadow slapped the robot hard on the arm. "Get a grip, Omega! If I were Robotnik, where would I go?"

Omega buzzed for a few moments, then said, "Insufficient data. Excessive variables detected in system mainframe."

Bait, who was still lying in the snow where Shadow had knocked him down, risked lifting his head enough to say, "What's that s'posed to mean?"

"It means he hasn't got a damn clue." Shadow pulled out the Chaos Emerald and turned it so the light reflected off the facets, then glanced at Omega with a slight glint in his eyes. "What do you say we find out?"

**Okay, so that's that ;) For everyone who's been clamouring to see Tails, he does have a part in this story, just not as large a part as he's had in others ;) If you read, please review!**


	6. Brotherly Love

**Pyro Hedgehog: Heh, you may be right ;)**

**kj: Thanks. And I'm not sure; you'll find out soon enough...**

**Maverick87: Heh, thanks :P Bait...yeah, I'm not too sure what's going to happen with him in the end. It'll sort itself out sooner or later...**

**Asher Tye: I think you're right about Shadow; he does at least make Bait's position quite clear :P As far as Omega goes...hmm, I think he always had a couple of screws loose. Maybe some melted snow got into his processors and shorted out his CPU**

**ruthc93: Thanks :D And here, one update**

**Jarkes: No, there's no pun on Bait and Raker. At least, not an intentional one; the story behind Bait's name is in **_**Caves of the Ancients**_**. As for Raker...not sure where his name came from, it just seemed to suit him.**

**Taranea: Oh yeah, the two hedgies are going to have a LOT of screen time (weg) **

**D.C.111: Thanks :) Well...there's no real hard and fast rule to the order of the chapters ;)**

**TC chan: I love Omega too...he's so unique ;) You will see Tails at some point, Robotnik will **_**definitely **_**be making an appearance and as for the snow in a tropical Zone...well, that'll be answered too. In time :P**

The building known as Sekko's Salves in the Scrap Brain Zone had been abandoned for some time now. There had been talk of converting it into apartments, or possibly a base for an up-and-coming company, but so far nothing had been done apart from completely stripping all the offices save one. That one had lost various items such as chairs and pictures to the looters, but the filing cabinets and desk – a large, exquisitely carved piece of furniture designed to represent a coiled dragon – had been left for some obscure reason. A thick layer of dust covered every available surface including the floor, and it was obvious that nobody had been there since the previous occupants.

After a few minutes, a magenta chameleon rippled into view and said, "Show yourself."

A low chuckle came from the far corner and another chameleon appeared, arms folded. This one was a deep shade of midnight blue, and even through the vicious scars on his face and torso, the family resemblance was unmistakable.

"I never could fool you, Espio."

Espio stared at his brother coldly. "And you never will. Mighty told me about your little stunt back in the CDA, Scarface. Just what the hell kind of game are you playing?"

A nasty light flashed through the other chameleon's eyes at the sound of his nickname, then he managed to suppress it and shrug.

"No kind of game at all. I just want to make sure that this little, ah, present doesn't find its way into the wrong hands." Scarface sighed, the sigh of a person doomed to a thankless task. "You have no idea how dull it is standing around watching over this damn thing. How that echidna does it day in day out without going insane, I've no idea." Another glint, this one more humorous than hostile, appeared in his eyes. "Then again, perhaps he already is insane. You have to admit it would explain a lot, Espio."

Espio tensed, shuriken already in his hand. "I admit _nothing_, especially to the likes of you. I'm here for the Master Emerald."

"You mean that size of Chaos matter the size of a boulder that the echidna excavated?" Scarface said, then shrugged. "Fine by me. Take it. I have to get back to work soon anyway; the problems we caused in the tunnels won't keep the others busy forever."

"_We_?"

Scarface shrugged, keeping a wary eye on Espio's shuriken as he did so. "I killed Sekko. That means there's a vacancy come up. By rights it's mine, but since I've vanished for a while to keep an eye on this thing—" he patted the desk— "they're now racing around like headless chickens looking for me. Sooner or later some bright spark is going to figure out I'm not there. I'd like to get back before that happens if it's all the same to you." A smirk appeared on his face. "After all, since you quit it's been mostly my wages keeping the family going."

Espio slotted the shuriken back into place and folded his arms, staring at his brother through slitted eyes.

"You have twenty six brothers and sisters. Why don't you kick one of them out to get a job?"

Scarface shrugged. "They've got their own lives. Mother says hello, by the way, and wants to know why you haven't written her lately."

Espio's head snapped up, eyes spitting fire. "You _told_ her where I was?"

The other chameleon snickered quietly. "Of course. She does wonder about you, even if she never quite understood you. What kind of chameleon turns his back on a well-paid job to go and work for outsiders? I imagine both our parents will want to pay you a little visit sooner or later."

"If you told them where I live—"

Scarface chuckled. "Well, Mother always was a little hard to say _no_ to, remember?"

That much was true, Espio thought grudgingly. Their mother had an uncanny nose for gossip and secrets, and if she found out you had one, she'd keep badgering you until you lost it and snapped at her, and then she'd go into paroxysms of grief at the thought of one of her own _children_ hating her.

Attempting to steer the conversation away from these dangerous waters, Espio said, "You brought the Master Emerald here, and you even had the gall to walk into the CDA and tell Knuckles about it." Shifting his weight – the painkillers he'd taken that morning were starting to wear off and his broken arm was throbbing slightly – Espio added, "I assume that was you, since nobody else would know about the Caves. So I'll ask you again, what the hell are you playing at? Did you bring it here and wait with it just to lure me or Knuckles in?"

"Actually, I came to make sure nobody takes it before you or the echidna do."

Espio laughed in his face. "You expect me to believe that?"

"Can you come up with a better reason for me to hang around here?" Scarface asked rhetorically. Pushing himself off the wall he'd been leaning on, he added, "Like I said earlier, I do have better things to do with my time."

The other chameleon stared at him, lip curled. "Things that, no doubt, have something to do with the Chaos Caves."

Scarface hoisted himself onto the edge of the desk, smiling slightly. "Those? I had a couple of people seal them up again before I came here."

Espio snorted. "Sure you did."

Scarface shook his head, clicking his tongue pityingly. "Have you forgotten everything you learned when we were doing this kind of thing together? Giving slaves access to the kind of powers in the Chaos Caves is just _asking_ for trouble."

"You beat people almost to death to find those things, and now you're just going to turn your back on them?" Espio said disbelievingly.

"Who said _I_ wanted to find them? That was Sekko all the way, and since he happened to be the person who paid my wages I wasn't about to argue." Scarface shrugged. "I make a nice enough living out of the jewels that come out of there. The world doesn't need another Robotnik; one of him's more than enough."

Espio shook his head slowly. "I don't believe a word you're saying."

Another shrug. "That's up to you. But you can believe this; I'll only stay here until this evening. After that, it's business as usual and the desk – and its contents – are free to the first person who comes along." One glance at the size and approximate weight of the desk in question prompted Scarface to add, "Or at least, the first team of people."

Without bothering to answer, Espio spun on his heel and stalked out onto the streets of Scrap Brain. He was fuming and not bothering to hide the fact. Not only did he have the brother from hell trying to cause problems again, but it looked like the rest of the family were about to get in on the act!

Espio slammed into the CDA headquarters and kicked open the door to Mighty's office without breaking stride, ignoring the now astonished and somewhat frightened cockerel that was sitting on the other side of the armadillo's desk.

"If my bastard family come looking for me, tell 'em I've died!" Espio ordered, then spun on his heel and yanked the door shut behind him.

Mighty sighed. Espio had been in a foul mood ever since that Scarface had snuck into the CDA and pretended to be him. For the most part he'd confined himself to taking this out on Charmy – the little bee was now too frightened to sing a note in case Espio made good on his threat to rip off his wings and slam dunk him out the nearest window – but Mighty and even Knuckles hadn't been safe from the chameleon's temper.

Returning his attention to the client, he grinned wanly.

"Sorry about that. He's been under a lot of stress lately; he got injured protecting our last client. Now, who did you say your wife was spending Saturday nights with...?"

* * *

Espio was standing in the living room, tossing a kunai and catching it one handed when someone cleared their throat. Whirling, he hurled the knife through the air and into the wall half an inch away from the person's head.

"Whoa! Hey! That how you usually greet clients, Espie?"

The chameleon stared at the blue hedgehog, then looked away again.

"Oh, it's you."

"Don't sound too happy, will you?" Sonic said lightly. "How's things?"

"Fine until you showed up. What do you want?"

The hedgehog grinned. "Not me, Espie. Knux said he wanted to go home, so we swung by to pick up that Master Emerald. Where're you keeping it?"

"Sekko's Salves; it's inside this dragon desk. Scarface is there too. You might wanna watch your back."

Sonic pondered the name for a few moments. "Scarface? Your brother?"

A shuriken almost took his ear off.

"Guess not," Sonic admitted. If he was unnerved by his narrow escape, he didn't show it. "You seen anything of Mighty lately?"

"With a client." Espio flipped open a magazine and pretended to read; he needed time to be alone, to _think_, to deal with this latest unpleasant development. "Seems he's set to take over Vector's role in the CDA."

Sonic laughed delightedly. "Oh man, I always said that guy'd get tired of travelling sooner or later! Tell him I stopped by, won't you?"

"I'm a detective, Sonic, not a damn secretary! Write him a note. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Espio threw himself onto the couch and started paging through his magazine again.

It wasn't until much later that the oddity of Knuckles sending Sonic to ask him where the Master Emerald was struck Espio, but by then both Sonic and the Emerald were long gone.

**Heh, so there you have it...short but sweet and pretty important ;) Sorry about the long wait; I had to get the files off my old computer :) Anyway, hope you enjoyed it and if you read, please review!**


	7. Aqua Lake Zone

**Rebell: Thanks :D And don't worry, all will become clear(er) regarding the switch in time ;)**

**Jarkes: I did say at the beginning of this story that some things might not make sense if you hadn't read the prequel **_**Into the Void**_** (and since that covers the Master Emerald story, I'm assuming you haven't ;)) For a rough summary, Espio doesn't need the Master Emerald and didn't send Scarface to get it (there's no way either of them would take orders from the other!) He's keeping it safe for Knuckles.**

**Taranea: Yep, I do ;) Though I'm aiming to concentrate mostly on Sonic and Shadow's stories…**

**TC chan: Thanks. Hmm…I never thought about bringing Espio's mother into the equation. Maybe I should :P As far as Tails goes, you'll find out what happened to him soon enough…**

**Pyro Hedgehog: I sure hope so :)**

**Asher Tye: Well, I did always have it in my mind that Scarface was the more 'normal' chameleon ;) And…yes, is it a Robotnik scheme, or is something else going on? Heh.**

**Matt Lans: Oh yeah, Knux is not going to be happy :P**

**Milette Tails Prower: Thanks :) Yeah, I like Espio; he's so different from the rest of the Sonic characters...**

**CalliopeMused: Thanks, glad you liked it :D**

**Ray Tails2 Prower: Thanks :D You'll see Tails soon...probably in about three or four chapters ;)**

_Guardian's Log no. 11505_

_This isn't easy for me to say, but...well, I really think I've underestimated Sonic all this time. To go through all that (and more) to protect Tails, and then manage to drag himself back...that took guts and far more strength than I would have given him credit for. There's more to that hedgehog than meets the eye._

_I have to wonder exactly what – if anything – Sonic saw when we were...indisposed. I've caught him looking at me recently and I don't much like his expression._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_Oh man, oh man, oh man. Poor Knuckles. Poor, poor Knuckles. I knew he was the last of his kind and I knew he saw his mother's dead body, but I guess I never stopped to think about what that actually meant. It's just always been, yeah, you're Knux and you're a proud guy who can be a jerk at times, oh yeah, and you got no parents, join the club._

_Let's see...she died when he was six and we first met when I was twelve and he was thirteen...oh man. Seven years. Seven years completely on his own with nobody to see or talk to. I don't know how he handled that without going insane. At least with Tails there were other people around. That's...to spend seven years without seeing another living soul...man, I can't envisage that. I really can't. Poor guy must have been one lonely little kid. Granted he's not the most extroverted of people, but it's one thing to decide you're gonna become a hermit and another to have no choice._

_I wish I knew what to do. Not just about Knuckles but in general; I don't know what Robotnik's planning with these duplicates. Is he going to make an army or what?_

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

"Fine!" The nurse, a slightly chubby aardvark who had only just qualified and had already decided they weren't paying her enough for this, slammed the blood pressure cuff back onto her tray of instruments, making them rattle. "Be that way! Just don't blame me if something goes wrong!"

Knuckles scowled at her from his bed. "Don't worry, I won't!"

"Good!" Turning on her heel, the nurse flounced out, slamming the door behind her.

"You really are _not_ an easy patient, are you?" Sonic remarked, grinning.

The echidna growled something in Sagayan under his breath. Not understanding the words, but fully grasping their meaning, Sonic's grin broadened.

"Temper temper. Look Knux, the quicker they patch us up, the quicker we can get out and back looking for Tails." Sonic rummaged in the tray the nurse had left behind before extracting the blood pressure cuff and attempting to wrap it around his arm. "Little help here?"

The echidna eyed him in disbelief. "_You_ know how to take a blood pressure reading?"

Sonic grinned at him. "Well, you may not believe this, Knux, but I've spent a lot of time in and out of hospitals in my life."

"Oh, I believe you," Knuckles muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, so I used to let the medical students practise on me and I must've picked up a little. Could you put your finger right there?"

Knuckles obliged, watching as Sonic squeezed the bulb to tighten the cuff.

"One oh five over seventy three. Okay." Releasing it, the hedgehog bent over the pad to fill in the numbers.

"What does that actually mean?" Knuckles asked after a few minutes.

"Not a clue," Sonic answered cheerfully. "But they want to know, so it's gotta be important."

The echidna watched the hedgehog for a few seconds as Sonic scanned the rest of the form. He supposed it wasn't too strange that someone like Sonic should have a better than rudimentary grasp of first aid and medical science; with the hedgehog's lifestyle, it was practically a necessity. It was just damn odd to see him actually put it into practice.

"You just picked that up from eavesdropping on medical students?"

"Sure. I mean, they were using me as a dummy so the least they could do was explain how it worked. I just asked and they gave me my own private lesson."

Knuckles fell silent again. He could well believe Sonic had 'just asked'; the hedgehog was almost as curious about things as Tails was, and he took a genuine interest in what people had to tell him.

But it was still damn odd to see him playing doctors!

"Why the hell are we here?" he demanded.

Sonic pretended to think. "Because warping through the ghost ring made...us..." He tailed off, no longer jocular as he studied Knuckles, remembering what he'd seen.

"What?" the echidna demanded after Sonic had been staring at him for a good few minutes.

The hedgehog blinked. "Huh? Oh. Nothing. I was just thinking…sucks to be you."

Knuckles shot him a narrow-eyed look, wondering again just where Sonic had been during their shared unconsciousness.

"Yeah, well...whatever," he said at last. "Do you plan on leaving here anytime soon, or are we just going to sit around eating hospital food for the rest of the year?"

Sonic put his head on one side as he considered it. "Well...while I _do_ need to store enough chilli dogs to see me through the winter—ow!" He backed off rapidly, rubbing the arm that Knuckles had just swatted. "What did I say now?"

"Don't you care that Tails is in trouble?"

Sonic sighed. They'd been talking in circles on this particular subject for the entire duration of their five day sojourn in hospital, and he was more than a little tired of it.

"How many times? Yes, I care, but trashing the place isn't going to change anything."

"No, the only thing that'll do that is going after him!" Knuckles spun away and stalked over to the door, then paused long enough to look over his shoulder. "And I plan to do just that, Sonic!"

Striding through, he slammed the door behind him, leaving the hedgehog alone in their hospital room.

"Damn," Sonic muttered, not quite under his breath. "Hey Knucklehead! Wait up!"

It took twenty minutes for them to sign themselves out, and another ten before they managed to get down from the large mesa that housed Sky High Zone's only hospital.

"I _wish_," Knuckles said to the world at large through clenched teeth, "that they would get some proper steps put in here!"

"What do you care?" Sonic demanded from somewhere underneath as they climbed down the rope ladder. "You fall, you just glide. I'm the one that's gonna go splat!"

As though to prove his point, a much frayed rung gave way beneath his foot and Sonic slipped, clutching at the sides of the ladder and causing it to swing crazily.

"What're you playing at?" Knuckles barked.

Sonic shook his head. "The hell with this, Knux. I'll see you at the bottom!"

"What? What are you—"

Loosening his grip on the sides of the ladder until he was barely holding it, Sonic kicked both feet free and hurtled towards the ground. He was examining his gloves when Knuckles joined him.

"Ow. Rope burn."

"So what now?"

"Hey, you're the one who decided he was gonna go AWOL and drag his hedgehog buddy along for the ride," Sonic pointed out, grinning. "You tell me."

Knuckles frowned slightly. "Yeah. Well, our doubles aren't here. Maybe we should take a cable car."

"Okay. Where to?"

"Anywhere but here."

Sonic shrugged. "Suits me. Now we just have to find out where the nearest stop is."

Turning, he scanned the expanse of mesas and rope bridges that made up the Zone. There were a few people up and about, although not many. With the lifestyle in Sky High Zone, if you saw anyone up before seven in the morning it was only because they hadn't gone to bed yet.

Well, there were a few exceptions to that, Sonic mused as he crossed one of the numerous rope bridges that spanned the ravines at fifty foot intervals. Reaching out, he tapped a passing robin on the shoulder.

"'Scuse me; where's the nearest cable car station?"

The bird tried and failed to focus on him, then hiccupped two or three times and wandered off again.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "That's the only thing I hate about this Zone; nobody ever recovers enough from last night's party to answer a simple question!"

Knuckles frowned as they made their way over another rope bridge. "You must've got here somehow."

"Oh sure; me and Tails took the Tornado, only now it looks like the other me did the same thing. We can't go there on foot 'cause there's too much water so we're gonna have to take the cable car."

"Go _where_?" Knuckles demanded.

"Back to Scrap Brain. Tails and me were staying with the CDA and I wanna find out if they've seen me recently."

The echidna stopped to fix Sonic with an old-fashioned look. "What, you can't remember that far back?"

"Not _me_ me, the other me. Me mark two. They might've seen you as well and I know they'll have seen Tails."

"Unless Robotnik's planning something."

"Hey, I can handle Robotnik," Sonic said immediately. He glanced around for someone else to ask directions from before eventually giving it up as a bad job. "Damn. Remind me never to get locked up and duplicated in this Zone again. Guess we'll have to move onto the next one."

The way down proved easier to find than either of them expected; Sky High Zone was at least well signed, if nothing else. A flight of stairs, broad enough to drive a truck up, wound down the side of one of the mountains, framed on one side by well-polished banisters.

"_Oh_ yeah!" Vaulting onto the rail, Sonic balanced there and quirked an eye ridge at Knuckles. "You coming?"

The echidna stared at him. "You do _know_ there's a four mile drop on one side, don't you?"

"That's what makes it fun!"

"After what happened last time you went grinding—"

"That did _not_ happen because I was grinding; it happened because we decided to jump into a giant cannon and fire it!"

"If you say so," answered Knuckles, who was clearly having trouble with Sonic's use of the word _we_.

"I do. C'mon, I'll race you!"

The echidna slammed one fist into the mountain, carving out a chunk of rock.

"How the _hell_ can you think of games when those things are out there?"

Sonic scratched his head, grinning. "Well, since they _are_ out there, that's all the more reason to get moving as quickly as possible, right?"

Without waiting for a reply, he twisted round on the rails, accelerating around the tight curve and out of sight before Knuckles had a chance to stop him.

The grind down was faster than even Sonic was used to; the railing had been carefully waxed with the end result that the hedgehog flew feet first off the end and crashed into a rubber pillar.

"Hate to say I told you so—" Knuckles began as he glided down to join Sonic.

"No you don't."

"—but I told you so."

Sonic glared at the echidna and struggled to his feet.

"What hit me, anyway?"

Craning his neck back, he studied the pillar more attentively. A magenta sign with big blue letters designed to look like they were made of bubbles was mounted on top and announced that they were coming into Aqua Lake Zone.

Seeing the ornate water features and lakes beyond, Sonic groaned.

"Water. Why is it _always_ water?"

"You know, Sonic, you really ought to do something about that phobia of yours."

"Have done," Sonic said instantly.

"I don't mean stay as far away from H2O as you can." Brushing past him, Knuckles cannonballed into the nearest lake and came up ten feet away, treading water.

"Why not? Works a treat." Sonic eyed the lake as though it was pure acid and edged around it, every muscle tense.

"It just seems odd to me that you've faced down killer robots at least ten times your size, you've been fighting Robotnik ever since he first showed up and you're still alive, you've been imprisoned, tortured, shot at, crippled, injured more times than I can count—"

"Four, you mean?"

"—and yet if someone throws a bucket of water on you, you crumple," Knuckles finished, ignoring Sonic's comment with a huge effort.

"I can't help it! I just hate the stuff; it's wet, it's cold and you can drown in it."

"Speak for yourself." Knuckles twisted over and dived towards the bottom. He was a surprisingly agile swimmer when the mood took him; even Sonic could see that.

A glint of light at the far point of the lake caught Sonic's eye and he stared at it, frowning. Turning his head, he studied the sun that was just visible in a small patch of blue sky.

Carefully Sonic walked forward, so focused on this phenomenon that he failed to notice the glint of metal from a smaller lake further away.

The sun's reflection off the water was...dull, muted somehow. Staring at it, Sonic felt a quiver run down his spine.

_That's not right. The sun shouldn't reflect that way off water; it only does that on—_

"KNUX!" Sonic put everything he had into the yell; it was loud enough to startle a flock of birds out of a small copse.

The echidna surfaced, treading water. "What?"

"Knuckles, get out of there." Sonic wasn't yelling now; his voice was soft, disbelieving as he stared at the lake.

"What are you—"

"_Do it_! Get out now, before it's too late!"

Something in the hedgehog's tone penetrated; Knuckles swam over and hoisted himself out, glaring at Sonic and shivering as the cold air hit his wet fur.

"Just what is your problem, hedgehog?"

By way of an answer, Sonic raised a hand to point at the lake. Even as they watched, the ice that Sonic had seen form at the far end spread towards them with increasing speed until the entire surface of the water was solid. The final part was so fast that the ripples caused by Knuckles' exit remained frozen in place.

The echidna stared at it.

"If you hadn't been outside watching..."

"Hydrophobia has its uses," Sonic answered very quietly, breath misting in the suddenly frigid air. He shook his head. "Have you ever seen _anything_ like that, Knux?"

To his surprise, Knuckles nodded. "Yeah. Angel Island's been over the polar regions a couple times; the entire sea freezes in the winter like that. But I've never heard of it happening here. This is supposed to be a damn tropical island!"

A slow handclap from off to their left drew their attention to the only lake not frozen solid, although the inky blackness of the water probably wasn't much of an improvement.

"_You_!" Sonic stared at the person, speech momentarily deserting him.

Robotnik smirked at them from his Egg-O-Matic. "Who were you expecting? Your little fox friend, perhaps?"

"If you've so much as _breathed _on Tails, Robuttnik—!"

"My dear Sonic, I haven't touched your flea-ridden sidekick. I just came down here to try something out; I didn't expect to see you here."

This much at least was the truth; when Robotnik had imprisoned Sonic and Knuckles, he'd worked out that the odds were they'd escape sooner or later, but he hadn't expected them to manage it for another three days.

"Yeah?" Sonic matched the doctor's expression. "Well, you know what they say; can't keep a good hedgehog down."

"Yes, I've noticed," Robotnik answered with delicate sarcasm. "So what happens now, Sonic? Are you planning to attack me? Because if you think I'm coming out of this water all the time you're around, you're crazier than even I thought."

Sonic folded his arms. "I've fought you underwater before, doc. This time'll be no different."

"Do you really think I'll make it that easy for you?" Robotnik shook his head, clicking his tongue pityingly. "Dear me, Sonic; you must have a very low opinion of my intelligence."

"Well, if you've only just figured that out, then I'd say it's justified." Sonic hopped from one foot to the other impatiently and then almost went over on his back; the ice had spread from the lakes to the shore. Glaring at Knuckles in a way that dared the echidna to comment, he righted himself and took a few careful steps towards the doctor. "And if you think we're gonna let you get away with your damn duplicates…"

Robotnik chuckled. "I'm afraid I can't allow you to interfere, Sonic."

"Yeah?" Sonic raised an eye ridge. "And you'll be stopping us _how_, doc?"

"Like this, of course." Robotnik's Egg-O-Matic slid silently beneath the inky water, the black liquid concealing it completely. There was a short pause, then something sleek and metallic rose up. In appearance, it was similar to an elongated torpedo, albeit one with a functioning tail. Metallic panels covered every inch save for the control room at the front, from where Robotnik looked out at the world through huge oval windows on either side.

The doctor's voice reverberated over hidden loudspeakers. "Meet the Egg Whale, Sonic."

There was a stunned silence as the pair of them stared at the huge machine in the lake.

"Well, go on then," Knuckles said flatly, nudging Sonic forward. "Handle it."

**Well, there you have it ;) Hope you enjoyed it and if you read, please review :)**


	8. Meteorological Machine

**Ember Rock: Wow, thanks :D Glad you liked it :)**

**Miss Milette Tails Prower: Heh, yeah; Sonic and Knuckles do tend to bounce off each other ;)**

**KR. Mitchell: Oh yeah, I think your feeling's more than justified evil grin And thanks :D**

**TC chan: No, I didn't come up with the whole 'getting high at parties Sky _High_ Zone', though reading it in your review made me wish I did ;) I picked Sky High Zone for the 'party Zone' because Sonic comments to Tails in AoStH that Sky High Zone throws the best parties on Mobius :P Something like that anyway; it's a while since I've seen that particular episode…**

**Pyro Hedgehog: Yeah, it was something of a surprise to me too :P The duplicates…assuming Sonic manages to handle the Egg Whale, they'll show up in a few chapters along with Tails ;)**

**D.C.111: Heh. Not writer's block so much as 'writer's relocation to new house and battling with various solicitors'; I bought the house in April and didn't pick up the keys until yesterday. Still got to finish decorating and get unpacked, but the worst is over ;)**

**Maverick87: Thanks :D And…I think they will ;)**

**Taranea: Yep, an update! And yes, the story's going to be mostly Sonic/Shadow chapters. I did toy with the idea of going back to Espio and picking up that storyline, but I think that might be too much…**

**Awdures: Thanks :)**

**Asher Tye: Well…I think Knux does have a sense of humour, even if he doesn't show it much ;) And as for why Robotnik didn't kidnap Tails as well…you'll find out soon enough ;)**

**SexyShadowGirl: Thanks, glad you liked it :D And as requested, more is here ;)**

**Matt Lans: And _then_ a giant boulder rolled down and squished Sonic flat! Wait…wrong movie. Never mind ;)**

**Rebell: I always appreciate any review, no matter how late it is :) And thanks so much for that picture; it's now linked from my profile :)**

**Deluxe489: Who can say:P**

**CalliopeMused: Thanks :D And…well, what kind of Sonic adventure would it be if Robotnik didn't show up (complete with egg fixation)?**

* * *

_Maria_

_We arrived on the doctor's flagship without much trouble. Omega thundered off in search of other machines to destroy and the jackal insisted on investigating Robotnik's bridge area, paying no heed to the robots there. I saved him eventually._

_With displays of courage such as this, I've been wondering; is it possible that there's more to this jackal than meets the eye?_

_Well, there certainly can't be less._

_--Shadow the Ultimate Life Form_

_Bait's Jurnal_

_Back on doc's ship, but doc's not here. Went up to brij, got atakked by roebots. Shaddoe saved me._

_--Bait the Jakkel_

"I'm not sure what you thought you were going to do up here," Shadow said tersely, watching as Bait attempted to prise a piece of shrapnel out of his arm with his teeth.

The jackal yanked hard, spat the metal onto the ground and then said in a small voice, "Thought mebbe I could do somethin' 'bout the doc."

"Kill him, you mean."

It wasn't a question and Bait flattened his ears slightly.

"Guess so, mister. I could stab 'im with one a them knives he's got in the dining room." The jackal didn't sound too enthusiastic about this; despite his words to Shadow, he didn't think he could bring himself to actually kill a person.

"I doubt that would work. The doctor's carrying so much surplus weight you'd need to use a bayonet to be sure of reaching any vital organs, and you're too short to slit his throat." Shadow studied the bridge closely. It hadn't changed much from the last time he'd been up there; there was still the raised dais containing most of the control panels, the huge egg chair and desk to one side…a desk that was now covered with piles of scientific notes and diagrams. A small, overflowing trashcan rested next to it, with other wads of screwed up paper scattered over the floor.

A loud clanking announced Omega's arrival, missile launcher still smoking.

"Sensors detect no trace of Robotnik."

Shadow frowned, temporarily distracted. "Why not?"

There was a brief pause. Then Omega said, "Observation indicates that the jackal's lack of cognitive skills may be contagious."

Bait flattened his ears. "What?"

"He said he thinks your mental capabilities may be having a detrimental effect on mine." Wandering over to the desk, Shadow lifted a sheet of paper that was covered in diagrams of an oddly shaped machine and pencilled notes, studying it carefully.

"Omega, what do you make of this?"

The robot scanned it. "Insufficient data."

"You must have some idea. Is it a gun, another robot or what?"

Omega gave a synthesised snort. "Which part of the phrase 'insufficient data' is beyond your comprehension, Shadow?"

_In other words, it's something he's not seen before_. Shadow studied the paper intently for a few moments, then dropped it into the trash. If the scribbles over the design were anything to go by, Robotnik had clearly decided against using whatever it was.

"Can you link into the main network?"

"Affirmative."

"Good. Do it. I want you to download everything the doctor has into your memory banks. Maybe then we can get some answers."

Wandering around, secure in the knowledge that no more robots were likely to attack while Shadow and Omega were there, Bait picked up a piece of paper that had been screwed up and dumped into a corner. Unfolding it curiously, he started to read.

"Init-tial studies show ad-van—advanced an' positive results with the met-e-o-rolo-gical machine. Must im-prov before final—"

"Give that to me."

Bait obeyed, scrunching the paper back up and throwing it to Shadow, who caught it one-handed and smoothed it out again, his frown deepening as he studied it.

"Meteorological machine? What the hell...?" He glanced at Omega. "Did you hear him planning any of this before?"

"Negative."

Shadow made as if to screw the paper up, then changed his mind and tucked it into his quills.

"Is that good, mister?" Bait wanted to know.

"It's...interesting." The black hedgehog didn't take his eyes off Omega. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Not unless it involves torturing Robotnik with citrus fruit and a large cork."

"How would—no, don't tell me, I don't want to know," Shadow interrupted himself.

Bait flattened his ears. "Your robot friend's got some pretty sick places in his mind, mister."

"He was built by humans," Shadow said, as though that explained everything. "Not just any humans, but the most twisted, vile human I've ever known. And coming from me, jackal, that's quite an insult." Glancing over his shoulder, he added, "Although you're hardly one to talk about sick minds. You seemed to figure out what he was planning remarkably fast."

Bait looked away, unable to meet Shadow's gaze.

"Yeah...well...'sall in the past, right mister?"

"I suppose, although I don't want to know _how_ you worked it out so—now what?" Shadow demanded as Bait snatched up a piece of paper with a yelp.

The jackal held it up, displaying an intricate diagram of a robotic hedgehog.

"He's makin' more Sonics!"

Shadow growled something under his breath. "That's _all_ we need. As if one wasn't enough."

Bait scrambled around the desk, glaring at the black hedgehog. "Sonic's my buddy!"

"You think so? Are you planning to return to your _buddy_ once we get back on the ground, jackal?" Shadow waited and when Bait didn't answer, smirked slightly. "No, I didn't think so." Taking the paper from Bait's unresisting hand, he studied it briefly.

"Clones?" Shadow's tone was dismissive as he scrunched up the paper and tossed it over his shoulder. "Well, he's been planning that for some time now."

Bait swallowed hard. "You seem to know a lot 'bout what he's doin', mister."

"I make it my business to know. The doctor's activities are no concern of mine until they affect me directly. When they do, I intend to be ready."

The jackal worked this through in his mind for a few seconds, then said, "In other words, he c'n do what he wants an' you won't stop him unless it hurts you pers'nally?"

"Precisely."

"Dunt seem fair," Bait mumbled into his fur. Shadow overheard and smiled slightly at the wall.

"Nobody ever said life was _fair_, jackal. All you can do is turn that unfairness to your own advantage."

"You mean when life gives you a lemon, make lemonade?"

"No, I mean when life gives you a lemon, throw it at someone and knock them out, and then steal their wallet. That's the human philosophy."

"You ain't human."

"Correct. Ten out of ten for observation, jackal, and eleven for stating the damn obvious." Shadow shook his head. "This is pointless. Without interrogating the doctor, there's no way we can find out what he's up to for sure."

Bait traced patterns on the floor with his toe. "Mister? No offence but I dunt think the doc's gonna wanna blab his plans to you."

Shadow's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly as he turned away from the terminal to face Bait. "Funny. I don't recall ever saying he'd have a choice. Omega, are you done yet?"

"Affirmative." There was a clicking sound and the robot withdrew the connector. "All data successfully copied."

"Good."

"Along with various other programs and accessories."

Shadow stared at him through slitted eyes, arms folded across his chest. "If we have another Minesweeper incident, Omega, I _will_ destroy you." It was said coldly, matter-of-factly, as though he was talking about junking in a hovercar.

"Databanks indicate severe overreaction last time."

Leaping nimbly off the dais to skate towards the door, Shadow shot the robot a stare.

"Enlighten me, Omega; exactly how does one _overreact_ to an angry mob trying to break down one's office door?"

"Databanks indicate unwarranted use of Chaos Blast."

Shadow glided to a halt, spinning smoothly around to face Omega. "You _did_ hear the humans threatening to kill me, didn't you?"

"Affirmative. Statistics indicate ninety nine point nine percent of humans issue death threats on a regular basis to friends and enemies alike. Statistics _also_ indicate that approximately ninety nine point nine eight percent of these threats are never acted upon and not worth taking seriously."

"I take every death threat I receive seriously, Omega," Shadow stated, then glanced at Bait and smirked slightly. "Well. Almost every threat."

Bait looked away, ears drooping, then back at Shadow. "Mister? What's a metor—motor—metty machine thing?"

"Meteorological. Weather related. I suppose the doctor might be planning to develop something to withhold all water or something similar."

Omega rotated his upper body around until he was facing Shadow. "Or to overwhelm the planet with it."

"How would—" Shadow began, then broke off abruptly and raised his eyes to Omega's, the same realisation occurring to both of them.

As if previously rehearsed, the two of them crossed the room to the nearest window and looked out. The Egg Carrier Three had almost left Westside Island behind completely now, but the whiteness was still visible in the darker ocean.

"Mister?" Bait spoke up from the next viewport over. "Mister…that weather ain't normal, is it?"

"Ten foot snowdrifts and a perpetual blizzard in a tropical Zone? No." Shadow shook his head, smiling slightly. It was so underhanded, so Machiavellian that for a moment all he could do was grudgingly admire the scheme. "Damn, he's good."

"Negative!"

"Credit where credit's due, Omega. Judging by this, the doctor's as good as that blue hedgehog," Shadow stated. "He may even be as good as me."

"Why'd the doc wanna make it snow though?" Bait wondered aloud. "I dunt get it. How's that help him take over the world?"

Shadow stared at the white blotch that was Westside Island. His time among the humans had given him a far better insight into how their minds worked than any Mobian possessed, and the one thing he'd learned was never, ever to underestimate them, Robotnik least of all.

"If he can keep this going, he'll screw up the ecosystem."

Bait frowned slightly. "That's like the food chain, right mister?"

Shadow glanced up at him, surprised. "Partly. Too much snow and the plants die. No plants means no plant-eaters, means no carnivores. From the Mobian point of view, it means almost no crops and no meat. If the oceans freeze, there'll be no more fish, to say nothing of the dolphins and whales. If the doctor knows how to reverse the process, I imagine Zones will be falling over themselves to surrender to him. Better slaves than dead." He curled his lip, not in contempt for the jackal but for the Zones in question. "At least, that's what they believe."

The black hedgehog considered for a few minutes and then appeared to reach a decision. "Omega, I want you to search the ship, see if you can find this…meteorological machine. Take out anything that tries to stop you, but if you should see the doctor—"

"_Eradicate_!"

"—_bring him to me_," the hedgehog finished, speaking slowly and distinctly so there was no way Omega could claim he hadn't understood him.

His stomach growled faintly and he placed a hand on it to silence it. "I'll be in the circular dining room."

Omega clicked and whirred his way through a series of binary insults directed at Shadow and Shadow's parentage all the way back to the primordial ooze stage, then turned and clanked off noisily. Raising one arm, he launched a barrage of missiles at the wall, stepped through the newly blasted hole and was gone.

**And another finished chapter :) Hope you liked it and if you read, please review!**


	9. Egg Whale

**Yet another apology is due, this time for this story :( Writer's block coupled with moving stress; the worst part is that I couldn't do what I usually do and go back to another set of characters; this chapter had to come now ;) Anyway, hope you enjoy it!**

**On another note, I do still reply to all reviews received, but I'd like to try and neaten up the appearance of these chapters, and so I'll only be replying to anonymous reviews within the chapter itself. Signed reviews get answers from the Reply to Review button. Or something very similar to that, anyway ;)**

**Jarkes: Ooh, I like that idea ;) Is it right? Sorry, won't say :P**

_Guardian's Log no. 11506_

_Sonic really is a glutton for punishment. After he got crippled by Robotnik last time he went grinding, I'd have thought he'd have learned his lesson. But no; he sees a railing and he just __has__ to ride it._

_If that wasn't enough, Robotnik's shown up again in something called the Egg Whale. Why the hell did I bother leaving Angel Island?_

_That ice forming on the water was a close one. If Sonic hadn't been watching...well, to be honest, I'd rather forget about that incident._

_Unfortunately, I have a nasty suspicion that Sonic won't let me._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_Hydrophobes RULE! If I hadn't been too terrified to go into that water, Knux and me would be iced in by now! Ha!_

_That said, I've no idea how it happened. I've heard of the ocean freezing, now Knux mentions it, but not as fast as this._

_I'd better wrap this up for now; Robotnik's just emerged in some kind of huge ship-type thing. Again._

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

Sonic threw a glare at Knuckles, who merely smirked at him. The irony of this role reversal wasn't lost on the hedgehog.

"I guess that was you who froze the water, huh?" Sonic remarked to Robotnik as he started to jog in a wide arc around the Egg Whale. This was the only moment in a fight that he ever felt something approaching nervousness, that moment between Robotnik's latest Egg whatsit appearing and the time when it attacked. Until he knew _how_ it attacked, he could only rely on his speed to keep him safe.

Robotnik grinned at him. "Who else could it have been?"

Sonic paused long enough to grin back at him. "Jeez, doc. All these years we been going head to head and you still haven't taken the hint yet? There's nothing you can do to stop me stopping _you_."

Robotnik's grin became a broad smirk. "_After_ all these years going head to head, Sonic, do you think I haven't learned a thing or two? My Egg Whale is equipped with the latest in heat-seeking missiles capable of travelling even faster than you."

Sonic quirked an eye ridge at the human. "_That_, doc, is what you'd call a scientific impossibility."

"Well, we'll see." Safe inside the cockpit, Robotnik's finger hovered over a board of identical looking red switches before choosing one.

As Sonic and Knuckles watched, a hatch slid open in the exact same spot where the blowhole would have been on a real whale, and missiles erupted in a deadly parody of a spout, too many to be counted.

"Split up!" Sonic yelled.

Knuckles winced, glaring at him. "You don't have to shout, Sonic; I'm standing right next to you!"

Sonic didn't bother to answer the echidna; there was no time to argue, even if he could have thought up a convincing retort. Abandoning Knuckles, he swerved sharply to the left and raced off.

Part of him was even glad of the exercise; he was already shivering violently. Sonic didn't like to think about how much Robotnik would have had to drop the temperature to freeze the lake as fast as he had.

"_Jump_!" Sonic yelled at Knuckles' racing form up ahead. The echidna didn't waste time asking stupid questions; instead he pushed off from the ground, leaping high into the air. Sonic matched his move exactly and Knuckles glided forward to grab him and propel him out of the way. Below them, the missiles slammed into each other and exploded, the resulting thermals propelling the pair some fifty feet into the air.

"Most impressive, Sonic," Robotnik drawled from inside the cockpit, "but you can't keep that up forever."

"Heat seeking." Sonic risked taking his eyes off the Egg Whale long enough to glance at Knuckles, chest heaving rapidly. "Robotnik said the missiles were heat-seeking. There must be some way we can divert them!"

"How?" the echidna demanded rhetorically, also gasping for breath. "In case you haven't noticed, Sonic, the only things giving off heat in this frozen wasteland are _us_!"

The hedgehog's ears pricked forwards. "Not so, Knux." He glanced over his head to where the Egg Whale was still in the water. "_That_ thing's giving off heat."

"Not enough."

Another click of the button. Another wave of missiles.

"Maybe if we could turn down _our_ body heat..." The hedgehog swallowed. There was, as far as he could see, only one way to do that, and he didn't much like the sound of it.

"We'll have to jump into the water." Now Sonic looked edgy, worried. "You can pull me out again, can't you?"

"Yeah." Knuckles had never worked out why, if the hedgehog was so terrified of water, he didn't simply learn to swim, but something about Sonic dissuaded even him from asking...not least because the hedgehog probably wouldn't bother giving him a serious answer.

"Then _move_!" Sonic seized Knuckles by the wrist and tore across the ground towards the Egg Whale. Taking a deep breath, every instinct telling him to stop and get away from the water before it was too late, he jumped.

Icy water closed above his head. Sonic had just enough time to panic and wonder what he would do if Robotnik froze _this_ lake too when the world exploded.

Spluttering, kicking frantically as Knuckles towed him towards the surface, Sonic emerged in a blazing inferno. The belly of the Egg Whale had been torn apart by the force of the blast, raining fiery chunks of shrapnel down upon the water.

Pain flared up in Sonic's shoulder as one of those chunks sliced down, igniting the hedgehog's short fur. Before he had time to think or even protest, Knuckles ducked him under the water again, extinguishing the flames.

The echidna swam down, towing the unwilling Sonic behind him and surfaced a little way away. Grabbing hold of the edge, Sonic hauled himself out of the water, shivering as the cold air chilled him.

"What the hell was _that_?"

"A little thing I call saving your life, Sonic." Knuckles slid onto the shore more gracefully than the hedgehog. "Or didn't you notice your shoulder was on fire?"

"It's not the only thing." Sonic turned to look at the Egg Whale. The machine was a wreck, steam, smoke and flames rising from inside. There was no sign of Robotnik.

_Big surprise_, Sonic thought grimly, catching sight of a dark speck in the sky that looked suspiciously like the doctor's Egg-O-Matic. Had the doctor even waited for the missiles to hit, or had he bailed before then?

"So what now?" Knuckles said.

Sonic shrugged. "There's gotta be someone here who can give us directions to the nearest cable car station. From there we go to Scrap Brain, like I said."

"We seem to be spending a lot of time in and around Scrap Brain Zone," Knuckles muttered to the sympathetic ground. City Zones – no matter how attractive – made him feel hemmed in.

Sonic grinned broadly. "Yeah, well, it's one of my favourites. Anyway, the CDA are there. Espio'll probably help us out. Well. He'll probably help _you_ out, anyway."

Knuckles' face gave a kind of spasmodic twitch. "Uh...I wouldn't bet on that, Sonic."

"Sure he will; he's your friend, isn't he?"

"I wouldn't bet on that either," Knuckles muttered under his breath. He and Espio had been friends – or at least, as close to friends as the chameleon ever seemed to get – but that had been before their disastrous excursion into the tunnels together.

On the other hand, going to Scrap Brain meant Knuckles could pick up the replacement Master Emerald and get Angel Island back in the sky where it belonged, and so he lengthened his stride until Sonic was jogging to keep up.

A glint of metal up ahead brought Knuckles to an abrupt stop as he stared at it, trying to figure it out. It looked, as far as he could tell, like some kind of metal capsule. Had Robotnik left another surprise behind for them?

Next to him, Sonic skidded to a halt, a rather more impressive maneuver than usual due to the amount of ice on the ground.

"Now _there's_ something I haven't seen in a while!"

"What?" Knuckles glanced from the capsule to the hedgehog and back to the capsule again. "What is it?"

"An Egg Prison. The doc used to use 'em all the time, then he just quit for some reason." Sonic considered this for some minutes. "Wonder why he's started up again?"

"Egg Prison?" Knuckles echoed.

"Yeah. He used them on your island that time we met, remember?" The hedgehog paused. It was long past time that they had this discussion. Taking a long, deep breath, he added, "And speaking of remembering things on your island—"

"Don't," Knuckles said curtly.

"You went to watch the solar storm, didn't you? The night your mother died? You were watching the dancing lights."

"Yeah?" Knuckles snarled, and then threw caution to the winds. Let Sonic see he wasn't the only one who could pluck information out of the sky. "Well, I got two words for you, hedgehog: _water boarding_!"

He wasn't disappointed by the reaction; Sonic paled, became very still and then said in a low voice, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"And I don't know what _you're_ talking about," Knuckles shot back.

There was a short pause, during which the atmosphere grew thick enough to taste. Then Sonic nodded, still looking shaken.

"Okay."

Knuckles nodded back. "Okay."

"Alright."

"Alright."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"You can stop repeating me now," Sonic added in the same low, serious tones, although his eyes danced wickedly.

The echidna grunted noncommittally and turned away.

"You know what, Knux?" Now Sonic was cheerful, buoyant. "I think the doc's up to something!"

Knuckles shot him a withering look. "Really?"

"I mean _really _something! Man, I can't remember the last time he came up with a take-over-Mobius scheme for me to foil! And he's even built new egg machines for me to kick butt on as well!" The hedgehog bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, looking as though he'd overdosed on caffeine. "I was starting to think he'd given up, you know, that he was happy to just cruise around in his Egg Carrier Three and send down a few robots now and then so we wouldn't forget him, but this! He's brought the Egg Prisons back! You know, it's crazy, but I've kinda missed all this."

"You're probably the only one," Knuckles retorted, the bite in his tones pulling Sonic up short. "Now, how do we get those poor people out of that thing?" He jerked a thumb towards the Egg Prison.

"Oh yeah!" Sonic hurtled forwards too fast for Knuckles to follow, then bounced onto the plunger on top of the prison and kicked off the edge as the capsule exploded, somersaulting backwards to the ground as the first of the prisoners – a kestrel who looked to be about twelve years old – emerged.

Seeing the bird's astonished expression, Sonic grinned at him.

"Hi!"

"Hi." The kestrel continued to regard him, now looking perplexed. "Did you forget something?"

Sonic blinked, taken aback. "What?"

There was a short pause, then the kestrel shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I just thought I saw you here two days ago."

Sonic's face lit up. "You did? Great! Which way was I going?"

The kestrel stared at him, then at Knuckles as though hoping the echidna would supply an explanation.

"Don't ask," Knuckles said flatly. "Just humour him. It's a lot easier on everyone when he gets his own way."

The kestrel's frown deepened, then he shrugged. "You said something about heading for Aquatic Ruin. Dunno where that is though. Cable station's three miles down that path; you could probably get a ride from there."

Sonic closed his eyes. Why was it always Westside Island? What was so special about the place that he seemed to wind up there on every journey?

"Okay. Thanks," he said, then opened them again. "C'mon Knux."

"What exactly are we going to do when we find those copies?" the echidna demanded, falling into step beside him.

Sonic shrugged. "Check on Tails, see if he's okay. Asides from that, not a clue except for taking 'em out."

"You think you could do that?" Knuckles studied Sonic seriously for a few minutes, as though the answer was written in the hedgehog's face. "You really think you could kill a person?"

Sonic gawked at him. "A _what_? Since when have Robuttnik's devices been people?"

"Those things don't look like robots, Sonic. He might've cloned them or grown them, which would make them living things, and you haven't fought too many of _those_."

The hedgehog continued walking, uncharacteristically silent. He'd never thought of it like that before. If Knuckles was right – and if the doubles weren't robots, then all evidence was pointing that way – then the echidna had just raised a damn good question.

_Could_ he do it? Sonic thought he could – he'd been in fights with non-robots before, although the only serious opponent he'd ever had was Knuckles – but he wasn't sure.

What did it feel like? To slice through flesh and sinew instead of metal; to soak your quills in someone else's blood? The thought occurred to Sonic that Shadow might have been able to answer that question, but he had no idea where the black hedgehog might be...and even if he had, he didn't think Shadow would have condescended to speak to him anyway.

Well, either way – Sonic squared his shoulders slightly and picked up the pace – they would have to find the doubles. There was no getting around _that_, and if either of them had tried to hurt Tails...the hedgehog's hand clenched into a fist unconsciously. Alive or not, if anything had happened to the fox (Sonic conveniently ignored the knowledge that the clones were likely to be in more danger from Tails than Tails was from them) if anything had happened to him, then to hell with the consequences.

Sonic frowned slightly. Still, he would have liked to ask Shadow those questions...

**Okay, next one should be up much faster ;) Hope you liked this one and if you read, please review!**


	10. Two's a Crowd

**Jarkes: Thanks :)**

Maria 

_So the doctor's planning to take over the world through weather control. He seems to be more subtle than other would-be dictators, but the human's as much of a walking cliché as that jackal is a walking disaster zone. _

_I don't suppose he even knows what it's like to be in charge of the population of an entire world. The paperwork alone is a nightmare; if he pulls this off, I give it one week before he surrenders to the inevitable and either wipes the Mobian population out entirely or flies off to try his luck with another world. Or both._

_--Shadow the Ultimate Life Form_

_Bait's Jurnal_

_I got food!!! And its mine! Shaddoe didnt try to tayke it or ANYTHING!! Docs doing sumthing with wether but I still got food!_

_--Bait the Jakkel_

Robotnik was fuming.

There were _rules_! He knew as well as the next man that there were _rules_!

Well...alright, maybe they weren't rules so much as general guidelines and/or conventions, but they were still _there_ and dammit, they ought to be respected!

He knew how it went. Anyone who took advantage of his temporary absence to sneak into his fortress or ship should have the decency to, well, sneak. Mad death-or-glory charges were also acceptable, albeit less common, but they should at least look as though they knew they weren't supposed to be there.

They should _not_ be sitting in one of the Egg Carrier Three's many dining rooms eating a nine inch cheeseburger and fries or, in Shadow's case, chicken _chasseur _with a glass of white wine!

Abandoning his Egg-O-Matic in the hangar, Robotnik stalked down the corridors towards the dining room in question. As if being beaten by Sonic wasn't enough for him to deal with!

The sight of numerous piles of scrap metal lying around only added fuel to his rage. Smashing up someone's robots and then having the unmitigated _gall_ to sit there and eat lunch as though nothing had happened...

Reaching up to the Open switch, Robotnik punched it hard, anger overcoming even his wariness of Shadow.

"You took your time, doctor," the black hedgehog remarked, before the doctor could get a word out.

"Just _what_," Robotnik demanded, "do you think you are doing on _my_ ship?"

The black hedgehog finished his mouthful and swallowed carefully before saying, "I'm sitting in your dining room and eating lunch. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"How _dare_ you violate the sanctity of my home!"

Shadow drained the contents of his wine glass and swivelled around, the fingers of one hand framing the side of his face. If he was intimidated by Robotnik's tone of voice, he hid it well.

"Don't be absurd. This isn't an invasion, doctor, just a friendly visit."

Still seething, Robotnik strode over to the black hedgehog and stood over him, glaring in an attempt to intimidate him. It didn't work. Shadow had seen far too many pissed off humans in his life to worry about one more.

"And the remains of my Egg Pawns...?"

"As I said, this is just a friendly visit."

The doctor opened and closed his mouth uselessly for a few seconds before eventually managing to blurt out, "My home has been intruded upon, _eighteen_ of my creations are now no use except as scrap metal, and you call that _friendly_?"

"Yes," Shadow said calmly. "Of course, if you have a problem with this, then I'm willing to try the _un_friendly approach. What are you doing in this Zone?"

"_I'm_ not doing anything," Robotnik answered, which was broadly true.

Shadow snapped his fingers at the one robot that was still intact – a small contraption with a tray built into its hand – and it wheeled itself over rapidly. Although Robotnik's machines were incapable of fear, some of the more advanced ones had a healthy survival integer, and the programming in this particular robot had analysed what this hedgehog did to uncooperative machines and made its decision.

Dropping the empty wine glass on the tray, Shadow ordered, "Refill. Now."

"Belay that!" Robotnik stared at the robot. "_I_ am your master, not this…this…"

"Careful," Shadow said, his tone studiously neutral.

"This black and red…_thing_!"

The black and red thing raised his jaw very slightly, eyes coolly mocking, then glanced at the robot.

"You heard me; refill. Actually, on second thoughts—" he glanced at the fuming doctor with the air of one condemned to an unpleasant duty— "just bring the damn bottle."

Robotnik drew himself up to his full height, all six feet of it. "If you think you can come in here and take over—"

"I don't think, doctor, I know." Shooting a look at the robot, whose programming was currently warring with its survival circuits, Shadow added, "Are you still here?"

Survival won and the robot hurtled off in reverse, its wheel making a high pitched squeaking sound that did nothing for Robotnik's temper.

"If you've come for another Chaos Emerald, you're going to be out of luck," Robotnik informed the black hedgehog. "I had them moved to a secret location."

"I know. I searched your ship."

"You..." Robotnik stared at the hedgehog. "You _what_? There were _guards_! The E-2000 models are supposed to be able to deal with any run-of-the-mill threat that turns up!"

The black hedgehog raised an eye ridge. "If you think I'm no more than a run-of-the-mill threat, doctor, then you are making a very, _very_ big mistake."

Robotnik opened his mouth for a stinging retort, then shut it again. Even he wasn't prepared to antagonise Shadow without a very good reason, and preferably a pair of missile launchers for weapons as well.

"What did you do with them?" he said instead.

The black hedgehog shrugged. "The E-2000s? I can't remember. There were so many different types it's hard to keep them straight in my mind."

"I think he's talkin' 'bout them yellow ones," Bait volunteered.

"Oh, those. I destroyed them. I won't lie to you though; something four times my height with external armour and shields plus a deadly laser and hovering ability…" Shadow raised his eye ridges. "It was very nearly entertaining, doctor, especially with odds of three to one."

Next to him, Bait flattened his ears slightly. It had been partly his fault that Shadow had wound up fighting the robots in the first place; he'd opened the wrong door and almost got his head blown off, then turned and bolted, leaving Shadow to the robots. The hedgehog hadn't mentioned this to him yet, but it was probably just a matter of time.

Stalking around the table, Robotnik seized Bait by the arm.

"Either you get out or I'll send your little friend here to the roboticiser!"

Not a single muscle flickered in Shadow's face. "Go ahead, doctor. He's no friend of mine." Stretching his legs out, he crossed them at the ankles, taking the now full glass of wine from the robot that had just squeaked back over and sipping at it. "Still, I'm glad you've given up any insane plans about trying to roboticise _me_."

Robotnik pasted an innocent expression on his face. "I wouldn't _dream_ of it, Shadow."

"I think you dream about it quite frequently, doctor. Let's not forget the little welcoming committee you sent to my room when we left Venus."

Robotnik's expression didn't change. "You can't blame an evil genius for trying. Still, if you don't want this..." He nodded towards Bait.

Shadow sneered. "Really, doctor. What kind of pathetic robot do you think you could make out of him? He's got no special abilities, no powers, and you can't do anything with his belief or self-esteem because as far as I've been able to make out, he doesn't have any."

"Oh dear." Robotnik matched the black hedgehog's tone perfectly. "Would you rather I killed him here and now?"

Shadow shrugged. "Better him than me." There was a _click_ from somewhere in his lap and Robotnik froze, his gaze sliding down against his will.

"And just where did you get that?"

Shadow glanced down at the automatic pistol as though seeing it for the first time, then back up at the doctor. "I took it with me when I left your ship." Nodding towards Bait, he added, "Are you taking him or aren't you?"

Robotnik's expression froze, then he said, "Perhaps I may have been a little bit hasty, Shadow. I just had a rather interesting encounter with Sonic...it's put me in a bad mood."

"That's not my problem, doctor."

"No. Well." Robotnik released Bait. "Let's take a step back, shall we? What prompted you to visit my home now of all times?"

"Tell me about the change in climate."

Robotnik scratched the top of his head in an exaggerated motion. "Has there been a change in climate? Dear me. I really ought to get out more."

"You have windows, doctor. Even you can see that Westside Island is currently snowed under. You also have plans for a meteorological machine, so it's not unreasonable to assume that you're behind the freak snowfalls."

Robotnik chuckled. "Taking over the world with weather? Do you really think I'm that cliché?"

"Perhaps. Tell me, exactly how many times have you said to that blue hedgehog, _you'll never get away with this_, or _you're going to regret this_, or _you haven't seen the last of me,_ or any variations thereof?"

The amusement faded from the doctor's face, to be replaced by something far less jovial.

"I don't know anything about the climate change."

"And this?" Shadow held up the plans for the meteorological machine.

To his credit, Robotnik didn't so much as blink before saying, "An experiment gone wrong. You of all people should understand what that's like."

Shadow froze motionless. "What do you mean by _that_, doctor?"

Robotnik chuckled. "You're the ultimate life form, Shadow. You figure it out. Now, if there's nothing more I can do for you, I would appreciate you leaving; I happen to be an extremely busy man."

There was a short pause while Shadow considered his options. Chances were they weren't likely to get anything more out of the doctor.

"Chaos Control!"

As soon as he and Bait materialised in Emerald Hill Zone, the jackal let go of Shadow and scrambled away without waiting to be told.

"There was no need to be so emphatic about grabbing me," Shadow informed him in sub-arctic tones; Bait had hurled himself across the table and seized the black hedgehog around the waist.

"I dint think you'd wait an' I dint wanna be stuck on the doc's fort again." The feeling of a full stomach was making Bait more confident than he'd felt since leaving Sonic. "Where's Omega?"

"I teleported him down while you were sniffing around in those rooms. I didn't want him to kill the doctor before I found out what was happening."

Bait hunted around until he found a likely looking log, then perched on top of it, hugging his knees tightly for warmth.

"How come not? I thought ev'ry Mobian wanted him dead." Realisation dawned and he opened his mouth in a silent _oh_. "'Cept...you ain't a Mobian, are you mister?"

Shadow glanced at him sidelong, making no effort to hide his amusement. "Correct. As I stated before, I have no interest in harming the doctor unless he gets in my way."

"S'pose he comes after you?"

A hard light flashed through Shadow's eyes. "He can _try_."

"What 'bout this meteoth—meet—metty—weather machine thing? If he could make it snow, he could do _anythin_'." Bait quivered, ears flat against his head. "Tornados...earthquakes...tidal waves..."

"You really are a worst case scenario jackal, aren't you?" Shadow said coolly. "How's the doctor going to take over the world if he just wrecks it with natural disasters? Besides, freak tornados or tidal waves...he's going to be the number one suspect. That blue hedgehog will stop him before he has a chance to get started. But snow..." Shadow shook his head, smiling slightly. "Nobody's going to connect normal, everyday weather with the doctor. By the time someone does, the damage will have been done. Besides, he's been too subtle for anyone to really suspect him; the Zones have been getting steadily cooler day by day. People are sleeping rough all over the planet right now, and some of them will never wake up again."

Omega clanked into the clearing, steam hissing off his armour.

"Did you find the machine?" Shadow asked without looking up.

"Negative. The machine is nowhere on the Egg Carrier Three."

The black hedgehog raised his head to stare at the android. "Where the hell is it, then?"

"Insufficient data. Perhaps the blue hedgehog has some idea?"

Bait tensed. "Sonic's here?"

"He was. Sensors detected traces of the blue hedgehog and two other life forms in this area. Estimated time of departure: thirty minutes ago."

"Good." Shadow leaned back against a tree, mind working idly. Constant snow was likely to pose more of an inconvenience to him than an actual threat; although not immune to hypothermia, he could withstand temperatures that would kill a normal person after too long. The problem was likely to be food; it would take a long, long time, but eventually the food stores on Mobius would be depleted, and nothing would grow in these conditions.

Bait yapped suddenly, jerking Shadow out of his ponderings. Irritated, the black hedgehog shot him a look.

"What the hell's wrong with you now?"

Bait didn't answer; instead he whirled and dived into a clump of bushes, not stopping until he was fully concealed.

"What...?" Shadow pushed himself away from the tree, alert now. There was nothing dangerous that he could see, but he was forced to admit that this didn't mean anything. Bait's hearing surpassed his own and it was more than likely that the jackal would pick up on sounds before Shadow would.

"Hey, look who it is!" The voice was familiar. _Too_ familiar, in Shadow's opinion, and the black hedgehog glowered in its direction. For a moment he seriously considered emulating Bait and wriggling into a thicket before this person could catch up with him, then dismissed the idea. He was no coward.

Sonic blew into the clearing and skidded to a halt, grinning all over his face. "I don't believe it! Long time no see, Shads!"

Shadow curled his lip, looking away. "Not you again."  
"Again?" Ignoring the insult, Sonic pounced on the black hedgehog's words. "Have I been here already?"  
Shadow folded his arms, eyes narrowed. "Yes. Of course."  
"How long ago was that?"  
A new light came into Shadow's eyes, a suspicious glint that said he thought Sonic was making fun of him.  
"Recently. About half an hour ago."  
"Half an hour!" Sonic's heart leapt. They were almost on top of them! "Great! Am I still here?"  
Shadow's eyes flashed angrily. "You're standing right in front of me!"

"Okay, sure, but besides that, am I still here?" Seeing the black hedgehog's equally black expression, Sonic rolled his eyes. "Just what part of this conversation don't you get, Shads? I _know _I'm here in front of you. I _want_ to know whether or not _you _know if I also happen to be anywhere else in this Zone or any other Zone besides standing right in front of you in this one! Is that really so confusing?"

Shadow shook his head. "It's pointless, whatever else it may be." Spinning on his heel, he started to leave.

"Shadow, wait!" Sonic darted in front of him and grabbed him by the shoulders, causing the black hedgehog's eyes to narrow into crescents.

"Move them, or _lose_ them."

Something in Shadow's expression convinced Sonic he meant business; the blue hedgehog snatched his hands away as if they'd been burned.

"Okay, sure. But c'mon, you really think I'd be asking you of all people these things if it wasn't important?"

"Your definition of that word and mine vary greatly, hedgehog."

"Yeah, but this..." Sonic shook his head distractedly. "Oh man, Shads, it's bad! It's really bad! Robotnik's made these...these _clones_ or _robots_ that look _exactly_ like me and Knux and they're out there right now probably killing people and burning houses and...and who _knows_ what else!"

The black hedgehog settled back against his tree irritably. "Oh, _that_."

"Oh..." Sonic skidded to a stop so suddenly he sank six inches into the soft ground, then he stared at Shadow. "Whaddaya _mean_, 'oh that'?"

"The doctor's been planning this for some time. I saw the printouts in his ship."

"And you didn't _warn_ me?"

Shadow shrugged. "I figured you'd find out for yourself and the doctor was my ticket home. I wasn't about to jeopardise that."

"You didn't try to stop him?"

Another shrug. "Why should I? I told him he'd better not be planning anything of the sort with me, and from what you say it seems like he decided not to."

"So why'd you pretend you didn't know what I was talking about?" Sonic demanded stridently.

"Much as it pains me to admit ignorance of anything, blue hedgehog, your topics of conversation are usually so frivolous and irritating that I would need to spend a lifetime hanging out with you in order to fully comprehend your meanings, something I would rather undergo public castration on the human world than suffer." Shadow considered. "Besides, I knew the doctor was _planning_ clones. Until just now, I had no idea he had actually made them. What exactly do you intend to do with these clones when you catch up with them?"

Sonic opened and closed his mouth several times, then abruptly said, "How many people have you killed, Shadow?"

"One," Shadow answered flatly, "and that was that jackal back on the doctor's ship."

The blue hedgehog swallowed, ignoring the look Knuckles was now giving him. "But the humans—"

Shadow curled his lip. "My mistake, hedgehog. I thought you said _people_."

Sonic swallowed again, looking less cocky and self-assured than Shadow had ever seen him.

"What's it like?"

Shadow couldn't believe his ears. "Excuse me?"

"What does it feel like? To...to carve through someone's body?"

"It's easier than ploughing through rock or metal. If you're planning on killing the doctor in such a fashion, however, I advise you not to go for the head. Human heads are remarkably strong, and the last time I tried that it took me a little under ten seconds to prise the skull off my quills."

Sonic shuddered. "That's macabre even for you, Shads."

"Did you come all the way just to swap killing techniques, hedgehog?"

"We just want to find the fakes," Knuckles put in, speaking for the first time.

"Well, fake me's right here, Knux," Sonic remarked, pouncing on the change of subject with a vast sense of relief and pointing at Shadow, who tensed. "Now we just need the fake _you_."

Knuckles grabbed Sonic and clamped a hand over his mouth, yanking him away and putting his own body between Sonic and Shadow.

"Just give us a minute, okay?"

"I'll give you as long as you want, echidna, since I see no point in prolonging this conversation any further." Before Knuckles had a chance to react, Shadow whipped out the Chaos Emerald. "Chaos Control!"

The echidna stared at the space where Shadow had been a few seconds earlier, then glared at Sonic.

"Nice going!"

"What?" Finally managing to wriggle free of Knuckles' hold, Sonic glared at him. "What'd _I_ do?"

"The one guy who might have been able to tell us about the duplicates and you just _had_ to piss him off, didn't you? He'll never agree to—"

"Knux?"

The voice came from the path and both whirled to see a surprised looking Tails standing there.

"Tails!" Relief exploded in Sonic. "Tails, are you okay?"

The fox blinked. "Sure I am, Sonic. How'd you get here? I thought you an' Knux were in the restaurant."

"Never mind that!" Dropping to one knee, Sonic caught hold of the fox's shoulders. "Tails, we have to go. Right now!"

"What?" Perplexed, Tails stared at the hedgehog. "Go where? What are you talking about?"

"Come on!" Sonic grabbed Tails' hand and spun around, breaking into a jog. He could explain about the clones later; right now they had to—

"Just where do you think _you're_ going?"

Sonic and Knuckles froze rigid, then, as though previously rehearsed, turned around just in time to see both duplicates emerging from the forest behind them.

**Well, you said you wanted Tails and the duplicates, so there you go ;) More will be along soon; in the meantime if you read this, please review!**


	11. Sonic vs Sonic

**Chibi-Cougar: Heh, thanks :D Yeah, Shadow definitely has an attitude...**

**Jarkes: Sorry, won't say ;) Though I do promise that question will be answered in time...**

**Maverick87: Thanks :) And as requested, one fight**

**Asher Tye: Yeah, I guess Shadow is becoming slightly more protective of Bait (emphasis on 'slightly') ;)**

**Taranea: (blushes) Thanks :D Yeah, I think Shadow's got over the Ultimate Angst Thing (at least, he has in my fics; he's much more fun to write that way :P)**

**Awdures: You bet it is. I hope :)**

**D.C.111: Ooh, I was wondering if anyone was going to pick up on that ;) Yep, Shadow abandoned Bait in that bush. Guess he's not so protective of him after all :P**

**Ember Rock: Thanks :D C'mon, Shadow **_**helpful**_**? To Sonic? Not in this lifetime ;)**

**Rebell: Yep, Shadow definitely outclasses the doc :P And as for the rest...read on**

**KR Mitchell: Heh, thanks. As far as Bait goes...maybe, maybe not ;)**

**Naetara the Turtle: Yep, I updated ;)

* * *

**

_Guardian's Log no. 11507_

_So that was Shadow. Not quite what I was expecting, but he could be a pretty good ally...if Sonic hadn't pissed him off, that is._

_This is very strange. I've just come face to face with a duplicate that's so exact I'd swear it's like looking in a mirror. No good can come of this._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_SHADOW knew about the clones? Shadow KNEW about the clones? Shadow knew about the CLONES?_

_It's no good; it looks just as bad however I put it. Why couldn't that guy have warned me? You know, hey Sonic, nice to see you, lemme buy you a chili dog, oh and by the way, Robotnik's gonna abduct you and clone you sometime in the near future!_

_On the plus side, we found Tails! On the minus, we also found the clones. Tails is okay, but I'm not sure how long for; we have to get rid of these guys!_

_Worse though, I didn't get to ask Shadow about Bait. He was the last person to see the kid, and while he'd have dumped him first chance he got, he might've been able to tell us where that was. I hope the little guy's okay._

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

"What are you doing with my brother?" Sonic's duplicate demanded.

Tails stared from one pair to the other. "What...?"

"What am _I_ doing?" Sonic demanded, glaring at his double and ignoring the fox. "What the hell are _you_ doing with him?"

The duplicate snorted. "Don't tell me. You're another one of Robuttnik's crazy ideas."

Sonic's jaw dropped. "_I'm_...? Look, I've no idea what kind of twisted game you're playing, but you're not gonna get away with it! Nobody impersonates _this_ hedgehog!"  
"You got that right." The clone folded his arms. "Look pal, I dunno who you think you are, but there's only one Sonic on Mobius and that's _me_!"  
"Yeah? Prove it. Where did you find Tails?"

The double didn't blink. "Up a palm tree, after he thought I was going to attack him, but we didn't meet until he tried to steal my leftovers and didn't speak until after he'd pounce attacked me for the first time. Who was Racer and what happened to him?"

Sonic mimicked his duplicate's pose exactly. "Racer was a cheetah in our gang when I was a kid in the Green Hill Zone. I helped him escape when Robotnik first attacked and he settled down in the Sleeping Egg Zone, where I saved him a second time when the doc tried to take over that place too. That was three and a half years ago and I haven't seen him since. Knuckles?"

The echidna scowled at both duplicates, then focused on his own. "How'd you get that white crescent on your chest?"

"I was branded at birth by my mother."

"You were whatted at what by your _what_?" both Sonics exclaimed, turning to stare at their respective echidnas.

"Sagayan tradition, Sonic," Knuckles said curtly. "You wouldn't understand."

"What kinda screwed up tradition—"

"Careful." Both echidnas spoke in unison, and then glared at each other.

Sonic tapped his foot. "Okay. So the questioning thing didn't work. Looks like we'll have to move onto plan B, Knux."

Knuckles glanced at him. "I didn't know we had a plan _A_."

Sonic hurtled forward, catching the duplicate off guard. There was a light sensation, like someone had brushed a feather across his quills, then he landed.

"Ha! Who's the real Sonic _now_? You're nothing but one of Robuttnik's experiments, you're a _robot_, you're—"

"He's bleeding," Knuckles said very quietly.

Sonic froze. "What?"

"Look." The echidna nodded towards the double, whose arm fur was being turned purple by his own blood. Sonic's spin had sliced through the flesh, almost to the bone.

The hedgehog stared at it, suddenly pale.

"B-but..."

Reaching behind, he felt his quills and stared at his glove, a glove that was now sopping with blood. Eyes wide, Sonic stared from the red stain to his double.

"I...I never meant...I thought...oh man."

"Alright!" Knuckles' duplicate raised clenched fists. "Bring it on!"

Knuckles shoved past Sonic to join the battle, and the hedgehog barely had time to blink before he was rammed in the chest by what felt like a hovercar. Struggling free, he raced across the clearing and leapt onto a tree branch. In spite of the pain in his chest, he was grinning at his double.

"You just attacked. That's something I'd never do." He shook his head pityingly. "You got a lot to learn about being me, buddy."

"Sure. If I wanted to be you, _buddy_." The clone grinned back at Sonic, then spun over and sliced through the tree trunk. There was an ominous creaking, and Sonic leapt clear just before the tree crashed into the ground. Landing on a patch of ice, he skidded across the clearing and finally stopped by the simple process of ramming into another tree.

His doppleganger followed a little more gracefully, using the ice as a skating rink to draw level with Sonic. Smirking, he raised an eye ridge at the hedgehog.

"Still think you can cut it as Sonic?"

"You devious, underhanded..." Sonic twisted around and sprang. The double matched his movements exactly, slamming into him in midair. The impact knocked both hedgehogs back to opposite sides of the clearing, where Sonic narrowly missed being flattened by a falling Knuckles. Wriggling out the way, he pushed himself to his feet and lunged for the clone again.

It was like fighting a mirror. No matter what Sonic did, his duplicate did the exact same thing at the exact same time.

They'd rammed each other several times more before the double spoke.

"Wanna call it quits?"

"No way!" Sonic was breathing more rapidly than usual; his main weapon – namely his speed – had been matched by his doppelganger.

The duplicate shrugged. "Okay buddy. Your choice."

Whirling, he used a rock as a launching pad and rebounded off a nearby tree to crash into Sonic, taking them both to the ground. The hedgehog's head hit the ground with an audible _crack_, and then the world went dark.

When Sonic came to, it was starting to get dark. Knuckles was toasting bread over a campfire with one hand; his right wrist was uncomfortably swollen and moving it was excruciatingly painful.

"Knux?"

"Finally awake, are you?" The echidna didn't look at him.

Sonic sat up very gingerly. There was no sign of the clones, or of Tails either.

"What happened?"

Knuckles shrugged. "You got me. Your double could've killed you, but for reasons best known to himself decided not to."

Sonic snorted. "Yeah, right. And yours?"

"I drove mine away, Sonic." This wasn't strictly true – Knuckles' experiences in the fight more or less paralleled Sonic's – but he was damned if he was going to let the hedgehog know that. Echidna honour could be taken too far.

"We gotta do something about them, Knux." Sonic reached up to rub his sore head, then saw the dried blood on his glove and thought better of it. Ripping the glove off, he hurled it away and into the fire as though it had burned him.

"They're tough, Sonic."

"They believe they're us. I thought it was an act, but I think they really believe it. Robotnik didn't just give them our bodies; he gave them our _memories_!" Sonic leapt onto the tree that had fallen courtesy of his double and started pacing back and forth on top of it so rapidly it started to smoke. "That's just...that's _sick_!"

"What did you expect from that guy?" Knuckles leaned against another tree, eyes half closed. He'd come off worse than Sonic; apart from his wrist, one eye was gently swelling shut and blood trickled from the corner of his jaw. "They'd have to be able to act like us, if only to fool Tails."

"Tails." Sonic glanced around as though expecting the fox to step out from behind a bush. "Oh man, I hope he's okay."

"He seemed fine when we saw him. Have some sense, Sonic; if they turn round and start acting like jerks towards the kid, he's gonna know there's something wrong. Besides, Tails can look after himself." Knuckles limped over to a sturdy looking log and sat down on it, wincing slightly. "I'm more worried about the Master Emerald."

Sonic gave a long, over-dramatic groan. "Not _again_! I thought you were over this rock fixation, Knux."

"If those two have it, you can bet your spiny ass they're going to deliver it right into Robotnik's hands, Tails or no Tails! You have any idea what he could do with that kind of power?"

"Find a cure for the common cold?"

"This is serious, hedgehog!"

Even as he said it, Knuckles wondered if it really was. The Chaos Caves had been found; he'd bet everything he owned that anyone with enough money and no morals would be able to buy a lump of Chaos matter for their very own. Chances were that those in the tunnels would be happy to sell or trade to Robotnik in exchange for their own safety. The doctor would break that deal first chance he got, Knuckles knew, but that wouldn't change a thing; he'd still have the Chaos matter to do what he liked with.

"I see you met up with your respective partners."

Both Sonic and Knuckles whirled to see Robotnik standing there, with no trace of his Egg-O-Matic.

"You again!"

Only too glad to have a valid target, Sonic snatched up a rock and hurled it at the doctor, who didn't bother to duck as it sailed through him.

_Hologram_, Sonic thought, and then kicked himself for not realising immediately. Robotnik wasn't timid about fighting, but he didn't favour close quarters like these either.

The doctor smirked, the expression making Sonic uneasy. Anything that made Robotnik look so pleased with himself couldn't bode well for Mobius.

"Something troubling you, Sonic?"

"Those clones with Tails! They've got our looks, our memories...they got everything! You even got them convinced that they're us!" Forgetting he couldn't do any damage, Sonic leapt for the doctor anyway. There was a brief crackle of static electricity and the next thing the hedgehog knew he'd landed on the other side of Robotnik, who had turned to watch him, not bothering to hide his amusement.

"You built those duplicates and then you filled their minds full of memories and beliefs that aren't theirs! You twisted jerk!"  
The doctor's lips twitched, then abruptly spread into a broad smile.  
"Oh, Sonic." He started to laugh. Not the cackle of a madman or the evil laughter of a despot, but the regular normal laughter of someone who's just heard the best joke in the world.  
"What's so funny?" Sonic demanded.  
Drying his eyes, Robotnik finally managed to get some control over himself, although his shoulders still shook and he made no effort to conceal the broad grin on his face.  
"Sonic, Sonic, Sonic. You're absolutely right; I won't deny anything you've said. The clones do believe themselves to be the original person. I must say I'm really rather proud of that; it was an exceedingly delicate operation."

"Exceedingly _sick_, you mean. Even by your standards, this is depraved. What d'you think they're gonna do when they find out it's all been some kind of illusion?"

Robotnik chuckled. "I really believe you may be asking the wrong person."

Backing away, feeling uneasy for no reason he could explain, Sonic stared up at the doctor.

"Just what's _that_ supposed to mean?"  
Still chuckling, Robotnik shook his head from side to side.  
"Oh, my dear Sonic. Whatever made you think that _they_ were the clones?"

**Okay, so that's it for this chapter ;) Hope you liked it and if you read, please review!**


	12. Truth or Lies

**Ri2: Heh, yeah, I know what you mean ;)**

**SexyShadowGirl: Well, I try :P And you'll find out more about the clones towards the end of this story ;)**

**D.C.111: Thanks :D And as requested, one update...**

**Saundersfamily007: Okay. You (and apparently everyone else) want Tails to play a bigger part in this story? Your wish is granted; read on :P**

**Chibi-Cougar: Okay, I've continued ;)**

**Asher Tye: Yeah, Robotnik does love messing with people's minds, doesn't he? Ah well. Guess it goes with being an evil genius :P**

**Guardian Angel of Haven City: Thanks :)**

**Ember Rock: Well, I **_**could**_** give you the plot details, if I knew them all myself ;) (Alright, so I do know how the clone thing's going to be resolved, but if I told you that, you wouldn't want to read it, now would you? ;))**

**Awdures: You got that right ;)**

**KR Mitchell: Thanks :) **

**SamusAran28: I'm pleased to hear that...given the number of reviews I've got along the lines of "I **_**knew **_**it!" it's nice to know I caught a couple of readers by surprise ;)**

**Maverick87: Thanks :D As far as life expectancy goes...hmm. Interesting point; I hadn't thought about that :S Then again, Robotnik's a pretty good scientist, so I guess the clones'll be around for a while...**

**Taranea: Ooh...you're pretty close to the truth there ;) I think reproducing Knuckles' birthmark would be simple enough; if Robotnik's good enough to make living, breathing clones and give them memories, I think he could give one of them a white crescent ;)**

**Pyro Hedgehog: It could be a trick by Robotnik, or maybe not. You'll find out sooner or later ;)**

**Kj: Well...I'm back now :)**

**Robin Moto: Heh, thanks :P This whole story was kind of built around that last line of Robotnik's.**

_Guardian's Log no. 11508_

_If Robotnik expects me to fall for that, he's going to be sorely disappointed. I'm real, my memories are real and I'd know if they weren't._

_Wouldn't I?_

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_...What? _

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Dear Diary,_

_What's Robotnik up to now? I just met another Sonic and Knux. It was pretty freaky, especially when they started fighting. I wanted to help, but I didn't know who was who and I didn't want to hurt the real Sonic and Knux. I went to search for Robotnik 'cause I thought he'd be watching from somewhere, but I couldn't find him and when I got back both Sonics and Knuxes had gone. Maybe they're carrying on the fight somewhere else._

_I found a camp in this clearing so I'm going to wait until whoever lives here comes back. Maybe they'll know which way Sonic and Knux went._

_--Tails_

_Maria,_

_I am getting very tired of this. Not only do I have that damn jackal to contend with, he seems to have brought a friend along for the ride. Some kind of mutant fox._

_If that jackal thinks he can open my doors to all and sundry, he's in for a very unpleasant surprise._

_--Shadow the Ultimate Life Form_

_Bait's Jurnal_

_Tails was in Shaddoe's camp wen I got bak. He wasnt happy to see me._

_--Bait the Jakkel_

Sonic stared at Robotnik, feeling the bottom start to drop out of his world.

"_What_?" he said hoarsely.

"You heard me, Sonic. Did you really believe you'd been taken by surprise by one of my Egg Pawns?" The doctor shook his head. "Rather disappointing; I had hoped I'd made you more intelligent than _that_."

The silence that followed this was so intense and complete that Knuckles half fancied he could hear the snow falling onto the ground.

"What?" Sonic said again. It wasn't the best retort he'd ever come up with, but his brain seemed to have temporarily shut down.

"You firmly believed they were the clones. You were going to destroy them and then I was going to destroy _you_. There's a self-destruct mechanism on board the Egg Carrier Three, on the bridge. Clearly labelled, of course." Robotnik smirked at the hedgehog's now sceptical expression. "Oh yes there is. I can tell you about it because I know full well you'll never use it."

"Don't listen to him." Knuckles eyed Robotnik warily. "Those guys we fought are the doubles, not us. He's just trying to trick us again."

The doctor laughed. "Well, maybe I am and maybe I'm _not_, but the only way you'll find out is to push that little red button. If you can get to it."

Sonic clenched his fists, allowing anger to spread through him. It was better than what he was currently feeling.

"Oh, I'll get to it, doc."

"Really?" There was no mockery in Robotnik's voice now; his tone was one of pure scientific inquiry, although he was still smiling lazily. "Well, let's just examine that option for a moment, shall we? If I'm lying about your not being real, you'd be committing murder; if I'm telling the truth, suicide. Personally, I don't believe you capable of either." The smile broadened, became purely evil. "Still, we'll see."

Sonic stared at him, then turned away. "C'mon Knux, it's starting to snow again. Let's find somewhere to spend the night; there's got to be an empty apartment we can claim squatter's rights on somewhere in this Zone."

"Rights?" Robotnik's laugh stopped Sonic in his tracks. "Since when have _clones_ had rights?"

The hedgehog turned. "I'm not a clone, doc." But the words were dull and lacked conviction, and Robotnik laughed again.

"Well, you keep believing that if you want to, Sonic, but the truth is you're nothing more than a science project. You were created to serve a purpose, and if you fail or refuse..." He shrugged. "Well, then I've no further need of you. After all, I still have the DNA samplings; I can make another clone."

Still smiling at them, the hologram vanished and Sonic sank slowly to the ground.

"That underhanded, sneaky, devious..." Knuckles lapsed into Sagayan and even through his daze, Sonic had to admit that it was a good language for swearing in.

"But he's right. We just assumed that we were the real deal."

"And we are!" Knuckles shook his head, clearly disgusted. Cloning did happen in Mobian society, but only organs that were needed for transplants. The idea of cloning an entire _person_ was just...repugnant.

"You don't know that and neither do I."

Bending down, Knuckles hauled Sonic upright and shook him hard. "Snap out of it! How do we even know Robotnik's telling the truth?"

"He has to be." The hedgehog's tone was dull. Knuckles supposed he was in shock. "It all fits. You and me waking up in that place...the other Sonic bleeding...it all makes sense now."

"Look, you bug me about falling for this guy's tricks all the time and now—"

"It doesn't _matter_ if it's a trick or not! Robotnik's right. Pushing that button will either kill me or turn me into a murderer. And if those others _are_ the clones, they've done nothing to deserve it," Sonic added in a quieter voice.

The echidna gawked at him, then held up his still swollen wrist as Exhibit A. "You call this _nothing_? They attacked us!"

The hedgehog shook his head. "No they didn't. We attacked _them_; they only reacted like they did in self-defence." Pausing, he glanced at Knuckles. "Maybe Robotnik's half right. Maybe one of us is real and the other one isn't. Maybe you're a double and the real you is out there with the fake me."

Knuckles snorted. "And maybe the moon's made of cheese. I'm not a fake, Sonic!"

"How do you _know_?"

"I know." But the echidna didn't sound convinced. The doubles had the same memories – the little question and answer session had proved that – and the same personalities, the same manner of speaking.

The look Sonic gave him said that the hedgehog was all too aware of the thoughts passing through Knuckles' mind.

"You see? You can't be sure either."

"Alright, so I can't!" Knuckles folded his arms, wincing as the action put pressure on his injured wrist. "Which leaves only one choice. We're gonna have to get on board that Egg Carrier—"

"—and push the button?" Sonic said heavily.

"And try and find out something that can prove who the fakes are once and for all!" Knuckles retorted. "Though I'm not sure how we're going to find that Carrier thing, much less get on board."

A gleam crept into Sonic's eyes, making him look like his old self again. "Teleportation, Knux."

The echidna shot him a wary look. "How? I left the teleportation Emerald back on Angel Island. By the time we go back for it, it could well be too late. And face it, Sonic; you can't stop time or teleport us there either."

"No, we can't stop time and we can't teleport," Sonic agreed cheerfully. Pulling out the light blue Chaos Emerald Shadow had traded him for the grey one back on the Egg Carrier Three, he tossed it idly in one hand for a few moments before saying with a broad grin, "But I know someone who can."

* * *

Half a mile away, Shadow was well and truly pissed off.

Chaos Control had brought him out some distance from his camp, and this coupled with the fact that it was now snowing hard had both served to worsen his already sour mood.

The final straw, however, had come when he'd made it back to camp and arrived in the middle of a free fight between that damn jackal and some kind of mutant fox cub. To make matters even worse, the one ally he could have counted on - namely Omega - was currently standing off to one side, motionless and with no sign of life.

Without hesitating, Shadow strode into the clearing, seized one combatant in each hand and wrenched them apart. The jackal whimpered – he didn't think he'd ever seen Shadow this angry before – but didn't offer any resistance...unlike the fox, who simply diverted his attack to the black hedgehog.

Releasing Bait, who backed hastily out of arm's reach, Shadow flung the other cub twenty feet through the air and into a tree.

"_Right_." Shadow turned to Bait, who backed off further and didn't stop until he'd hit a tree. He'd known Shadow was strong, but he'd never fully appreciated _how_ strong, or seen that strength displayed in such a frighteningly casual manner. "What the hell's going on?"

"It's between me an' him!" The fox, who had managed to use both namesakes to avoid serious injury from Shadow's treatment, zoomed forward to glare at the black hedgehog.

"It may be between you and him, fox, but you're debating it in _my_ camp."

The other looked around him with an exaggerated air. "It doesn't _look_ like a camp. An' anyway, he shouldn't've come here!"

Shadow ran the list of options through his mind, then stopped on the most likely one.

"You're that blue hedgehog's tagalong, aren't you?"

"His name's Tails," Bait volunteered, in the hopes that this would defuse some of Shadow's fury, or at the very least stop it from crashing down upon his own head. The look the black hedgehog gave him promptly slammed that hope into the bedrock, and the jackal attempted to push himself back further.

"I don't give a damn what his name is, jackal. What I want to know is why the two of you were attempting to kill each other in my backyard!"

"_He_ can't kill anyone." Tails glared at Bait, who tensed. The jackal certainly seemed to have come off worse in their encounter, Shadow admitted; blood was trickling from a nasty looking cut on the back of his head and he was moving stiffly, awkwardly.

Bait folded his arms. "I dint wanna fight you in the first place! I _tole_ you Shadow'd get mad!"

"Yeah, an' I told you I didn't care what any of your stupid friends would do an' I _still_ don't!" Tails lunged towards Bait again, only to be brought up short as Shadow grabbed him by the namesakes and yanked him back.

"If I have to break your jaw to silence you, I will," he informed Tails, then looked at Bait. "And that goes for you as well, jackal."

Tails wriggled ineffectively for several seconds, then gave it up and settled for glaring at Shadow.

"Who're you, anyway?"

"Bait's stupid friend," Shadow said icily, "although the description is something of a misnomer since – from what I've seen so far – my intelligence far exceeds your own, and I'm certainly no friend of the jackal's."

"Good! Then lemme _go_!" Tails kicked out hard, missing Shadow by inches.

"For you to beat him up some more? No."

"You don't even know what he's done!"

"I know he helped his brother sell you into slavery, and I never thought I'd say this but I'm with Raker on that idea. If that blue hedgehog put up with you being even half as big a pest to him for all those years as you have been to me in the last five minutes, then he's tougher than I thought...although that isn't saying much." Releasing Tails abruptly, Shadow turned away. "And if you pick on a kid who's too pathetic to defend himself, you're no better than the ones who made you a slave in the first place."

Tails glared at the back of Shadow's head. "That's different! And how come you're interfering, anyway? 'Cause if you wanna fight like Bait—"

"I don't fight cubs, and I _certainly _don't fight like that jackal."

"Who're you calling a _cub_?" Tails demanded belligerently.

Bait, who in some ways was faster on the uptake than Tails, wisely kept his mouth shut. If being a cub stopped Shadow from getting seriously angry with him, then he was a cub.

"As for _you_—" the glare shifted to one side to include Bait, who retreated so fast he cracked his head on a tree— "I didn't bring you back here just to pick fights."

"I dint pick _nothin'_, mister! I mean, Sonic ain't gonna lemme come back with him if I beat up his brother, is he?"

"You couldn't beat an egg!" Tails folded his arms, the gesture looking somewhat ridiculous in mid-flight, and turned away, snout in the air.

"_Enough_." Shadow gripped the fox by the ankle and spun him around to face him. "You. Out. _Now_."

Something in his voice and expression quelled even Tails, who swallowed once or twice and suddenly looked a lot less determined.

"What about _him_?"

"The jackal is my concern, little cub, not yours. Get out."

Bait squirmed – he wasn't sure he liked the idea of being Shadow's 'concern' – but kept his mouth shut. Now the adrenaline of the fight was wearing off, his head was throbbing painfully where it had been injured, and the biting wind that had picked up was making it ten times worse.

"What happened to Omega?" Shadow added.

Neither answered for a moment, then Bait said nervously, "Mebbe someone did somethin' to him an' he stopped workin', mister."

"Who?"

Bait swallowed hard. "I ain't no grass, mister. But it wunt me. I were the one who tried to stop him from bein' shut down."

Shadow stared at Bait, wondering if he could possibly have heard right. "You _defended_ Omega?"

"Uh." Bait ducked his head. "Well. Um. It were more defendin' Tails than Omega 'cause I figured Omega'd jus' blow him up an' I dint want that to happen 'cause then you might get into trouble…? But I dint mean for Omega to stop workin', mister, honest."

"He's one of Robotnik's machines!" Tails cut in, glaring at Bait. "_You_ jus' wanted to stop me 'cause your dumb brother's probably working with Robotnik and using that robot to catch other people an' sell them as slaves!"

At Tails' mention of Raker, any appearance of fear or contrition vanished from Bait's face and he hurled himself at the fox, the suddenness of the attack catching Tails off guard.

Ignoring this for the moment, Shadow ducked behind the motionless Omega and turned his attention to repairing the robot. The fox hadn't done any real damage – Shadow suspected he hadn't had time before Bait had launched himself into the fray – and what he had done was easy enough to fix; just a matter of switching a few wires around and replacing the panel that Tails had pulled off.

Bait was still fighting with Tails (and losing badly; the ribs Shadow had broken back in Genocide City Zone hadn't fully healed yet) when the explosion hit five feet away, courtesy of a certain pissed off robot's chest cannon.

Tails glanced up, yelped in alarm and darted out the way as a palm tree – already severely weakened by the storms – started to fall.

Bait barely had time to register this – let alone force his dazed body to move and avoid it – when something slammed into him, knocking him out the way and ten feet across the clearing.

Reaching up, Shadow caught the tree in one hand, weighed it thoughtfully and then hurled it javelin-style towards the mountains.

Tails stared at him, eyes huge, for once speechless. Moving too fast for the fox to even think about dodging, the black hedgehog gripped him around the throat and raised him up to eye level.

"Now," Shadow said, voice dangerously quiet, "for the third and final time, _get out_."

He dropped Tails to the ground and wiped his hand on his leg with an expression that suggested he'd just been handling something particularly distasteful.

The fox glanced from him to the semi-conscious Bait and decided that settling his score with the jackal wasn't worth antagonising Shadow any further. Turning with an air that said quite clearly this was all his own idea, Tails took off and flew away.

As soon as he was sure they were alone, Shadow turned his attentions to Bait, who was rapidly sliding in and out of consciousness. Shadow was no medic, but he thought the jackal's head injury might well have resulted in a concussion.

"_Wonderful_." He spat the word into the falling snow. Allowing Bait to tag along was one thing, but Shadow was damned if he was going to play doctors with the jackal.

_Yeah. Dump him in hospital and forget about him._

"Shadow?"

Shadow didn't look round as he snapped, "Not now, Omega."

"Shadow, there is something I need to tell you."

"I _said_ not now." Shadow glared down at Bait. It looked like the only way he was going to get the jackal into any hospital would be to carry him.

Reluctantly, as though the jackal was going to burst into flames, Shadow bent down and lifted Bait into his arms. Barely conscious now, the jackal turned towards him, instinctively seeking out the nearest source of warmth and almost causing Shadow to drop him in disgust. There was only one way the black hedgehog could think of to keep such things to a minimum and he used it now.

"_Chaos Control_!"

**Well, you wanted more Tails, and you got him ;) He'll probably be back in the next chapter, or the one after that and more in his old role :P In the meantime, hope you enjoyed this and if you read, please review!**


	13. Fade to Black

**Jarkes: Thanks :) Tails not knowing Shadow...like I said before, if you haven't read the prequels to this story, then some things may not make sense. To summarise: Tails only saw Shadow once before this, in the Casino Zones (this happened in **_**Secrets of the Emeralds**_**) Although Sonic and Bait met Shadow again in **_**Into the Void**_**, Tails wasn't with them and so Tails has no idea who Shadow is. Shadow's origins and how he came to be on Mobius are explained a little more fully in **_**Into the Void**_**; events up to Maria's death are according to canon, events afterwards took a different turn to SEGA's idea.**

**Awdures: Heh, thanks ;) Robotnik's claim...yep, that'll be cleared up at the end of the story :P**

**D.C.111: Well, people seemed to be clamouring for Tails, and I can take a hint. At least, I can when it's delivered after practically every chapter ;)**

**Ember Rock: Thanks :D I'm not sure if you'd call the ending happy or not, but I think it's the only one that really works. You'll have to wait and see ;)**

**Taranea: I think you're asking for Shadow to throw you under a moving train, much less into a tree :P And you'll find out about Omega very shortly...**

**Chibi-Cougar: Heh, that's what I was going for ;) It wouldn't be much of a story if you knew all the answers in advance :P**

**Asher Tye: Yeah, I think the fight between Tails and Bait has been building up for a very long time ;)**

**Miles Prower Fan: Oh, I think he did ;)**

**Rebell: Ooh, now that sounds like a good idea. Having a fan gathering behind Sonic would certainly give them the element of surprise, if nothing else ;)**

**Saun: Heh, thanks :D Yeah, there was a little time elapsed between the journal entries and the events; it was do it this way or have a couple of REALLY short chapters (like about half a page)**

* * *

_Guardian's Log no. 11509_

_Does Sonic really believe he can convince that Shadow guy to help us? That black hedgehog didn't seem too fond of Sonic when we last met (something I can relate to all too well at the moment)._

_I still can't get over what Robotnik said. Something about it's bothering me, and it's not just the implications, it's something earlier. I guess it'll come to me._

_Sonic's taking it harder than I expected though. He's fine most of the time (maybe a little TOO fine?) but occasionally he'll suddenly go...dark. That's the best way I can put it and it doesn't really explain it. It doesn't last long though. _

_He's like he was just after he escaped from Robotnik's prison; every now and then his eyes would kind of cloud over and you'd know he was remembering it._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_Where'd Shads get to now? Chaos Control notwithstanding, I want to ask him if he's any idea what happened to Bait._

_As for the cloning thing goes...I try not to think about it. Sometimes I even succeed. And Robuttnik be damned; if I can get to that red button, I'll not only push it, I'll tape it down!_

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Dear Diary_

_Okay, maybe I underestimated that Shadow guy. Where'd he get a Chaos Emerald from anyway?_

_That jerkal hurt my arm while we were fighting. I'm on my way to the main Zonal hospital. It's probably nothing, but better safe than sorry. Then I can go look for Sonic!_

_--Tails_

_Maria,_

_When is that jackal going to learn how to pick his fights? First he challenges me, then I come back to find him brawling with some kind of mutant fox. If the jackal had been fully healthy, it might almost have been a fair fight, but I'd still have put my money on the fox. It's obvious he knows a little about fighting. Not much, but a little._

_I believed the jackal when he said he hadn't been the one to start it, but I don't suppose it makes a lot of difference since he's already proven himself incapable of starting or finishing any kind of fight, no matter who it's with._

_--Shadow the Ultimate Life Form_

_Bait's Jurnal_

_Got beat up by tails. Head akes real bad._

_--Bait the Jakkel_

"Sorry, we don't accept non-residents."

Shadow couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What?"

"Those are the rules." The hospital receptionist, a pretty dove whose appearance was completely at odds with her attitude and harsh voice, turned her attention to the screen in front of her. "Now please leave. The presence of your jackal friend may upset other patients."

The black hedgehog curled his lip. "Yes, I can see how it might come as something of a shock to find an injured person in a hospital."

The receptionist returned to her magazine. "You heard what I said. Non-residents are not permitted to make use of the facilities."

"So what do you expect me to do? Take him back outside in the middle of a blizzard to die? In case you haven't noticed, that's not tomato juice leaking out of his head."

"You do what you think is best, I'm sure." The dove moved the mouse, clicking busily and Shadow had to suppress a sudden urge to rip it out of her hand and crush it. He might not want Bait himself, but the callousness of these people disgusted even him.

"Listen to me." His voice was low, warning. "If you persist with this lack of cooperation, I will lose my temper, and if I lose my temper I assure you that you will never see anything like it again as long as you live."

The dove gave him a cursory glance, unimpressed. "Are you responsible for this jackal?"

Shadow's face twisted slightly. "He certainly seems to think so."

"Then you should take him to a hospital in your own Zone."

The black hedgehog opened his mouth to retort, then stopped as he thought of something better and shrugged instead.

"As you wish."

Glancing around, he smiled coolly as he caught sight of a target and drew one hand back, feeling the tingle as Chaos energy gathered there.

In front of the dove's astonished eyes, the newly-delivered ECG that the hospital had spent six months' worth of fundraising and cutbacks on, and which hadn't even been used yet, exploded into flames.

"Now," Shadow said as he turned his attention back to her, "are you going to take the jackal in or do I have to destroy your CT scanner as well? Think before answering; I doubt you get paid enough to replace it."

It wasn't just the callous attitude that was making him irritable. Of all places and situations, Shadow hated hospitals the most; the clinical smell reminded him too much of his time on the human world.

The receptionist swallowed twice, then called up a blank form on her computer.

"What's his name?"

"He calls himself Bait. I somehow doubt that's his real name, but it'll do for what you need."

"Living address and next of kin?"

"None and none."

The dove debated with herself whether or not to ask for any past medical history, then dismissed the idea. This black hedgehog may be dangerous and arrogant as all hell, but he was right about one thing; she wasn't getting paid enough for that.

"Injuries?"

Shadow deposited Bait on the counter. "See for yourself. I believe he may have some broken ribs as well."

"How did that happen?"

"He hit them on something."

"Really?" The dove made a note on her clipboard, barely glancing at Shadow now. "What sort of something?"

"My foot."

There was a long silence, then the dove apparently thought better of commenting on this and typed _Accident_ in the field labelled _Cause of Injury (if known)_. When she looked up to ask Shadow about contact details, she found the black hedgehog was already heading for the exit. Something about him didn't encourage the dove to try and call him back.

Shadow had almost made it outside when an unpleasantly familiar voice from behind said, "Why'd you bring that jackal in?"

Turning, Shadow came face to face with an accusatory Tails and said something that caused more than one patient in the waiting room to clap their hands over their mouths with a gasp.

Undaunted, Tails fixed Shadow with a glare.

"You coulda jus' left him there."

The black hedgehog scrutinised him in silence for a few moments before saying, "You don't mean that."

The glare faltered slightly and Tails looked away. "Well...no. But if you think we're gonna be friends—"

"Do you seriously believe that I give a damn _what_ you are? The fewer people that jackal brings round to my campsite, the happier I'll be."

Tails glowered at him again. "Yeah, well, if I see him again—"

"—you'll attack," Shadow cut across, bored. "Assaulting a kid with broken ribs who's too weak from hunger to really defend himself...your courage astounds me."

Tails ducked his head and looked away. The truth was that he hadn't gone in with the idea of fighting the jackal, at least, not in the way Shadow implied. He hadn't even realised it _was_ Bait until he'd gotten close enough, and then things had just escalated out of control.

Studying the fox, Shadow thought that if it came to a physical brawl when both Tails and Bait were fully healthy, they would be pretty evenly matched. Tails was more robust, but Bait's threshold for pain had surprised even Shadow on occasion. Of the two, the black hedgehog thought he preferred Bait; for all the kid's faults, the jackal did view him with respect, or at least the mind-numbing terror that can sometimes pass for respect in the right light.

"I jus' got kinda frustrated an' pushed him," Tails said suddenly. "I didn't _know_ it was gonna end up like this; he was the one who hit me first."

In spite of his earlier comment to Tails, Shadow could well believe the fox's words. Chances were Bait had only reacted as he had because he'd thought Tails' pushing him had been the prelude to a more vicious assault. The best defence was a good offence, after all.

"An' anyway, he _did_ sell me out to Raker and his gang!" Tails added defiantly. "He said they wanted to talk to me, catch up on old times, and would meet me in the woods an' that's where they grabbed me!"

"Were you particularly close to Raker and his gang when you lived in this Zone?"

Tails shifted his weight; what little he could remember of his life in Emerald Hill Zone before he'd met Sonic wasn't something he liked to think about.

"No," he said shortly.

"Enemies, perhaps?"

Tails hesitated again. _Enemy_ seemed too strong a word; besides, it hadn't been Raker who'd been leader of the gang at the time but a civet called Caud. While the gang had still made his life hell, the fox had always believed they'd viewed him more as entertainment than an enemy.

"They didn't like me, if that's what you mean," was what he said.

"And yet you still went to meet them?" Shadow raised an eye ridge. "If I were stupid enough to accept an invitation to go walking alone in the woods with a group of people who didn't like me, I'd deserve everything I got."

"Bait sold me out to his jerkal brother! I was a _slave_!"

Shadow chuckled dryly. "What is it that you think Bait was?"

Tails gawked at the black hedgehog, temporarily speechless, then recovered.

"That's different!"

"Yes, I suppose it is. At least you weren't enslaved by your own brother."

The fox snorted, although there was a nagging feeling of guilt in the back of his mind that hadn't been there previously.

"Least _Raker_ never chained Bait up like some feral!"

Another dry chuckle. "I wouldn't put money on that if I were you. What are you doing here, anyway?"

Tails glowered at him. "You threw me into a _tree_, remember?"

"You should consider yourself lucky that's all I did to you, little cub."

The fox started to retort that Shadow should consider _himself_ lucky that he'd caught Tails off guard, then caught sight of something and changed it to, "Hey, where're they taking him?"

Following Tails' gaze, Shadow saw a rather harassed looking doctor lifting Bait onto a medical trolley.

"That's not your concern, fox, although I rather doubt you'll be able to continue your little debate with the jackal if that's what you had in mind."

Tails, who had no such intentions, simply snorted. "Yeah, right! D'you really think I'm that low?"

It was on the tip of Shadow's tongue to answer that he didn't think of the damn fox at all except as a nuisance, but he swallowed the words. Saying them would only have prolonged his conversation with this kid, and having only just got rid of Bait, Shadow was in no mood to run the risk – however negligible – of having the the fox replace him.

Turning, he strode away, pausing in the entrance to glance over his shoulder to where Tails had very pointedly turned his back, and towards the room where Bait had been taken, then shook his head. Was this what that blue hedgehog had to deal with, day in, day out?

No wonder he always seemed so crazy.

* * *

"Where _is_ that guy?"

Six feet ahead of Sonic, Knuckles kept silent. It was taking all his strength to forge a path through the snow, and besides, this was the seventh time the hedgehog had asked that question.

"He's gotta be here somewhere!"

Pausing for breath, Knuckles turned to face him.

"Says who? If he can teleport, he could be in any damn Zone on Mobius right about now! And just what makes you think he's going to help us, anyway?"

Sonic grinned. "C'mon, even Shads can't say no to little ol' me."

"He probably can if you call him _Shads_, so if we find him again, will you _please_ let me do the talking?"

Sonic drew himself up, feigning indignation. "Whaddaya mean, _if_ we find him?"

"What I say. Face it, Sonic," Knuckles grated through clenched teeth, "we are _lost_."

Sonic hopped over a fallen tree, the ease of the movement only slightly marred when he landed on an icy patch and skidded into a snowdrift. Emerging, spitting snow out of his mouth in a way that just _dared_ Knuckles to comment, he folded his arms and glared at the echidna.

"We are _not_ lost! We are, as Shads' human buddies would say, geographically challenged!"

Thinking of humans brought the echidna's mind back to Robotnik, and from there to something that had been bothering him for a while now.

"Sonic...when we went through that ghost ring to get out of the house..."

Sonic became very still, then without looking at Knuckles he said, "What about it?"

The echidna held up a hand. "I don't know what you saw, Sonic, and I don't want to know either. But you have to see that it does support Robotnik's story."

Sonic's jaw dropped. "_What_?"

Knuckles sighed. "Robotnik gave the doubles Sonic and Knuckles' memories. Whether that's us or not doesn't matter; he had to have done it or they wouldn't remember anything."

Sonic eyed him warily. Something in Knuckles' tone said he was halfway to believing Robotnik's claim that they weren't real and the hedgehog didn't much like it, not least because he wasn't far off believing the doctor himself by now.

"Go on..."

"Maybe he screwed up. Maybe a fragment of my memory found its way into your head by mistake, just like yours got into mine."

Sonic snorted. "You don't still believe the doc, do you?"

Knuckles muttered something under his breath. Of all the reactions he'd been expecting from Sonic since Robotnik's revelation, complete and total denial hadn't been among them. Fair enough, he wasn't exactly enamoured of the idea either, but they should at least consider it.

"How _else_ do you explain it? You couldn't have known about what happened to me in such detail otherwise, because I've never even told Tails that. And as far as I can make out, you've never told _anyone_ about what happened to you in Robotnik's fortress."

Silence.

"We have to at least consider the thought that we might not be real," Knuckles pressed.

"If you're not real, then how come I'm talking to you?"

The echidna growled something in Sagayan, then added, "You know what I mean! It's one thing to kill clones; it's another to kill yourself. You really think you could push that button knowing it might be the last thing you ever do? Knowing it could kill you?"

"If he couldn't," Shadow said laconically from where he'd been leaning against a tree listening to this for the past ten minutes, "I assure you that I would be more than happy to step up to the plate, as the humans say."

Relieved at the interruption, Sonic grinned at the black hedgehog. "You know, Shads, for someone who claims to hate the humans as much as you do, you sure seem to quote 'em a lot."

Knuckles kicked him in the ankle, then glanced at Shadow. "We need to talk to you."

"Join the club. Lately it seems to me that everyone's intent on turning me into some kind of damn agony aunt," Shadow snarled with, it must be admitted, a certain amount of justification. Seeing Sonic's expression, which hadn't altered even when someone had Chaos Controlled into existence barely six inches in front of him, Shadow added to Knuckles, "What's wrong with your hedgehog?"

Sonic glanced at him. "I'm not real." It was impossible to tell if he was joking or not.

Shadow regarded him in silence for a few seconds, then turned away with a curled lip.

"Oh, if _only_."

Bounding to his feet, Sonic glared at the black hedgehog. "Just what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"I believe it was clear enough."

"Listen, you...you stuck up technicolour—"

"Sonic!" Knuckles seized the hedgehog and clamped a hand over his mouth. "Shadow, we need your help."

A muffled squealing from Sonic indicated that the blue hedgehog didn't agree with this summation at all, and Knuckles tightened his hold.

"And the nature of this help would be...?"

"There's a self-destruct switch for the doubles on board Robotnik's fortress. Can you get us on board?"

Shadow raised an eye ridge. "According to that blue hedgehog, you _are_ the doubles."

"Then that's our problem," Knuckles retorted, while the bits of Sonic's face that could be seen above the echidna's hand did their best to glare at Shadow.

"As is finding that switch." Shadow shrugged. "Like I told your jackal friend, I've no interest in what the doctor does so long as it doesn't affect me."

"Bait?" Sonic pricked up his ears, all thoughts of saving the world put on hold. "You've seen him? Is he okay?"

"I imagine he'll survive, no thanks to your pet fox."

"_Tails_?" Sonic stared at him. The fox had a hot temper, he knew that better than anyone, but he wasn't violent. "Tails beat up on Bait?"

"The fox was the undisputed winner of their little fight, if that's what you mean. I wasn't there when it started, so I'm not entirely sure how it happened. As far as the doctor goes, if he wants the world, he can have it so long as he leaves me in peace."

"You listen to me, you—" Knuckles' hand dropped away from Sonic's mouth and the hedgehog darted to the other side of the clearing out of arm's reach.

"You really mean that, don't you?" he said, cutting Knuckles off. "You'd be happy for Robuttnik to wipe out or enslave the entire planet, just so long as _you_ get to carry on as normal!"

Shadow, who hadn't reacted to Sonic's moving other than to turn his head very slightly to keep both the hedgehog and the echidna in his line of sight, chuckled dryly.

"Oh, and all this time there was me thinking you were an immature retard. I can admit it when I'm half wrong."

"Okay, that does it!" Sonic folded his arms and glared at Knuckles. "C'mon Knuckles. We're leaving."

The echidna glanced from one to the other, then spoke to Shadow.

"Look, Sonic's...well, he's not himself right now." _And just why do I have to be the negotiator in all this?_

Shadow raised an eye ridge, bored. "Clearly. Isn't that what caused the two of you to invade my privacy in the first place? Although given the stupid and immature behaviour of this blue hedgehog so far, I'm inclined to think that he's the original even if you're not."

"Exactly!" Sonic said triumphantly to Knuckles, then: "Hey!"

The echidna drew in a long, deep breath, then made one last ditch attempt to appeal to Shadow's better side.

"Alright, I think we got off to a bad start so let's try again. Can we please have a word with you?"

Shadow curled his lip. "You can have two, echidna. _Chaos Control_!"

There was a flash of green light and he was gone. Knuckles stared at the place where he'd been, then rounded on Sonic.

"You really don't know when to quit, do you!"

"Hey, you heard him!"

"You said you'd let me do the talking."

Sonic grinned. "No, _you_ said I'd let you do the talking. I never agreed and Shads being Shads, I couldn't just let him get away with what he was saying."

"That's great, Sonic," Knuckles grated, "except we _still_ have no way to get on board Robotnik's ship! It's too high and moving too fast for my island to keep up. Shadow was the only real chance we had of getting there _now_, and you went and pissed him off! Again!"

The hedgehog's grin broadened. "Actually, I've been thinking."

"Ancestors protect us."

"Ha, and let us also not forget _ha_. Shadow's not the only one who can use Chaos Control!"

"Then why did you want to find him?" Knuckles said shrewdly.

"'Cause he's done it more than me and so he's probably more experienced in it. And because I love to bug him."

Knuckles, who knew Sonic far too well to be caught like that, gripped the hedgehog's shoulders.

"Have you _ever_ done it before?"

"No, but there's gotta be a first time for everything!" Before Knuckles could stop him, Sonic had pulled out his own Emerald and yelled, "Chaos Control!"

Green light flickered around them, and eventually they faded from sight.

A few hundred yards away in his own camp, Shadow glanced in the direction of the voice and snickered quietly. Did the blue hedgehog really believe it was that easy? Even if by some miracle he did manage to warp – and after seeing him harness Chaos energy back on Robotnik's fortress to heal that jackal, Shadow had to admit it was possible – there was no telling where he'd end up. Somehow the black hedgehog doubted Sonic had the mental discipline necessary for any successful teleportation.

"I think you ought to know I'm feeling very depressed," Omega announced from the edge of the clearing.

"I think _you_ ought to know I don't give a damn, although that does remind me to erase all trace of human culture from your memory banks." Even as he spoke, Shadow knew he would never do it; they'd had this conversation so often that now it was almost a ritual for them. Besides, it was nice to have someone around who was capable of understanding all the references you made in your speech.

"Shadow, there is something I need to tell you."

"Yeah, you said that before." The black hedgehog rubbed his arms irritably, trying to get some warmth into himself.

"My core processor is beginning to fail."

Shadow stared at him, forgetting the cold. "What?"

"My core processor is beginning to fail," Omega repeated in exactly the same tones.

There was a heavy, drawn-out silence.

"If this has _anything _to do with that damn fox mutant—" Shadow began.

"Negative. My systems were not designed to cope with such prolonged exposure to extreme temperature conditions."

Shadow's face was impassive, unreadable. "So what happens now?"

"If I remain online in these conditions, the processor will seize up and freeze completely. There are no replacement parts available. Local scanning of the vicinity reveals a cave in the mountains. Analysis indicates that this may provide sufficient shelter without disturbance until planetary climate returns to normal."

"And you'll...?"

"All systems will be shut down in order to maximise energy conservation. Once the climate returns to normal, the system may be rebooted."

There was a long silence, then Shadow said, "Where is this cave, then?"

"In the Diamond mountain range."

"That covers a little too much ground, Omega."

"Exact coordinates match those of our original entry point into the Zone."

Shadow frowned, trying to remember where that had been. There had been a lake, hadn't there, and a waterfall that was wider than it was tall. At least that would help conceal the robot; not many people wanted to plunge through a waterfall in sub-zero temperatures on the offchance that there might be a cave behind it.

Still, better safe than sorry – the last thing he wanted was to draw any more attention to them – and so Shadow Chaos Controlled them right into the cave itself. It was larger than he'd expected, and lit with an odd bluish-white light as the sun shone directly through the frozen waterfall.

Good. At least he hadn't had to carve through that; a gaping hole would probably be noticed by anyone crazy enough to come up here.

"Scanners show no sign of life," Omega stated.

Shadow glanced around. A battered table stood in the middle of the cave, and what looked like shreds of clothing and leaves were scattered over the floor in the far corner, but he thought Omega was probably right.

"Yeah. Someone lived here once, but whoever it was is long gone. The waterfall should stop anyone discovering you."

"Affirmative. Preparing complete system shutdown."

Shadow stared at the robot, suddenly apprehensive. Omega was the closest thing to a friend he had managed to find on Mobius.

"You'll be alright, though, won't you?"

"Affirmative." Omega clanked further into the cave and turned around, facing the exit. There was a brief pause, a soft whirring sound and the red lights that served as his eyes faded to black.

**Heh. So there you have it ;) Hope you liked it and if you read, please review!**


	14. Chaos Control?

**D.C.111: Yeah, Sonic does seem to suffer from foot-in-mouth disease, doesn't he? ;) And thanks; I think Shadow does like Omega, no matter how hard he tries to hide it :P**

**Asher Tye: Thanks :D I'm not sure I have a preference for any one character in particular (at least not anymore) but I do love Shadow ;) The other Sonic and Knuckles...they will turn up again at some point...**

**Milette Tails Prower: How's that for timing ;) And thanks, glad you liked it :D Omega/Marvin...that line's been hanging around ever since someone suggested Robotnik building a 'Really Depressed Badnik' :P**

**Ember Rock: Sonic is still normal, or as normal as he ever gets (bearing in mind that Robotnik's little revelation took place a very short space of time ago, at least for the characters ;)) And...you're half right on the Omega score :P**

**Taranea: (laughs hysterically) Sonic Chaos Controlling onto Shadow's head...oh man, I really wish I'd thought of that! And yeah, for such a smart little fox, Tails does occasionally do some pretty stupid things, as Shadow was kind enough to point out ;)**

**Jarkes: That was the general idea ;) As far as game continuity goes, these stories aren't based in just one universe; I take any ideas from any official Sonic source (cartoons, comics, games etc) that takes my fancy and combine them to create my own version of Sonic's world. Most of these ideas come from the games (Zone names, locations etc) but in Shadow's case, his game story ends after he gets fired out of the ARK ;) As far as Tails goes…since he saw both the clones and originals together in Chapter 11, I think he's figured out the cloning thing. Whether or not he knows which Sonic and Knux are real…well…**

**Darth Mohawk: Thanks :) The truth Chaos Emerald…good point, read on ;)**

**Maverick87: I'll do my best. And as for Shadow...yeah, you're right; he does have a serious superiority complex ;) Though I like him anyway :P**

**Rebell: Thanks :) Yeah, sometimes you just gotta have a 'talking' chapter to build up for the next one...**

**the waffle: Thanks :D**

**The Archaic Minister: Well, there's no reason why you can't use it ;) And thanks, I'm glad you liked it :D**

**STaR Productions: Thanks :D Not sure about Bait and Tails...maybe in the (very) distant future. And Omega will return at some point, I promise ;)**

* * *

_Guardian's Log no. 11510_

_I am going to kill Sonic. Slowly, painfully and with a lot of water involved._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_YEAH! OH YEAH! I am the CHAMPION! In your FACE, Shads! You're not the only one who can use Chaos Control!_

_Alright, so maybe we missed our destination by a little, but I still showed that black hedgehog!_

_--Sonic the Uber-Cool Chaos Controlling Master Hedgehog_

"_Yeah_!" Sonic punched the air triumphantly. "In your _face_, Shads!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Sonic," Knuckles said in icy tones, "but this doesn't look like Robotnik's fortress to me."

"Okay, so maybe the coordinates were a little off—"

"A little off? We're in the damn mountains!"

Sonic folded his arms. This was quite true, although – despite the evidence – he would rather die than admit to Knuckles he'd been wrong.

"Hey, there are mountains in Emerald Hill Zone!"

"Those ones aren't surrounded by _desert_, hedgehog!" Knuckles mirrored Sonic's pose exactly, then turned away, scanning the horizon for a familiar landmark.

Nothing. Pale sand stretched out below them, turned silver by the two moons shining down, and Knuckles groaned audibly.

"We've come halfway around the planet!"

"Really?" Sonic glanced up from where he was now busy inspecting the rocks as though expecting to find a map underneath one of them. "How'd you figure that, Knux?"

"We're in a different time zone!"

There was a short pause, then Sonic said, "Besides that, I mean."

"Oh, for..." The echidna glowered at him. "That does it, hedgehog. From now on, if you want my help with anything, you're gonna have to swear on the truth Emerald not to act any crazier than you have to!"

"The truth Emerald?" Sonic stared at Knuckles, then grinned broadly. "That's it, Knux!"

Knuckles backed away. "If you think I'm going to let you try Chaos Out-Of-Controlling us with it—"

"We're going to get to Robotnik, right? All we need to do is ask him again if we're the clones and if he's lying, that thing'll flare up!"

Knuckles sighed. There were times when he seriously wondered if the hedgehog was capable of being this dense on purpose.

"Yeah, except you're forgetting one thing. It only works if you can get the person you're quizzing to touch it. Remember when we used it with Bait?" The echidna dropped onto a suitably flat rock and glared at the hedgehog. "Face it, Sonic, you screwed up."

Sonic suddenly froze motionless as he caught sight of something. "No. No, I didn't."

"You were going to Chaos Control us to Robotnik's fortress. We're not in Robotnik's fortress. You. Screw—"

"Shut up and follow me." There was an oddly hard note in Sonic's voice, one which even Knuckles wasn't keen on disobeying.

The hedgehog led him down a tiny track, so narrow that even Sonic couldn't take too quickly without breaking an ankle, and onto a hard rocky plate adjoining the desert that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

A huge crater had been blasted just in front of them, so huge that you could have fitted a small hotel inside.

"Meteor?" Knuckles guessed.

"This was Robotnik's fortress, Knuckles, before you got the CDA to blow it up. Remember?"

The echidna stared at Sonic. "So you just brought us to the wrong fortress?"

"Yeah. I don't know how it happened, but at least I didn't screw up _too_ badly." Sonic quirked an eye ridge at Knuckles, buoyed by his success again. "So, you know, any time you wanna grovel at my feet, admit I was right, maybe buy me a chili dog or six to make up for it..."

"In your damn dreams." Knuckles glanced around him with an exaggerated motion, then said, "So how do we get to the _right_ fortress?"

Sonic pulled out the Chaos Emerald and weighed it thoughtfully in one hand.

"Good question. Hey, maybe we should try another Chaos Cont—"

"Not in this lifetime, hedgehog."

Sonic's glare was unfortunately lost on the back of Knuckles' head as the echidna turned away and started towards the nearby mountains.

"Where're you going?"

"There're a few caves around here. One of them might lead to a shortcut through the mountains."

"Hm." Sonic remained still for a few moments, deep in thought, then said, "Yeah, I think Mighty mentioned something like that while me and Bait were squatting with the CDA."

"He did?"

"Yeah. These are the Dust Mountains, Knux. On the other side we got Dust Hill Zone and that means people and _that_ means a cable station!" Sonic overtook the echidna, going just slowly enough for Knuckles to keep up and darted into a cave.

At first, it seemed like Knuckles was right about there being a shortcut. The cave had branched off into three passageways and although two had come to an abrupt end, the third seemed to be taking them deeper and deeper into the mountain and (presumably at some point) would emerge on the other side.

The problem came when the tunnel branched into five more passages. Knuckles had no idea which – if any – would lead them out, and the tunnel they'd been following had twisted and turned so much that he didn't even know which way they were facing.

"Maybe we should try this one." Sonic pointed at the largest of the five tunnels.

"You said you knew where you were going!"

"Huh?" Sonic blinked, taken aback. "No, I said Mighty mentioned something about there being a way through these mountains."

"So you _don't_ know where the exit is," Knuckles said tersely as he followed Sonic down the hedgehog's chosen tunnel on the basis that they may as well pick this one as any other.

"Sure I do, Knux; it's on the other side of the mountain!" Sonic swerved around a large rock and kept walking without breaking stride. "Okay, so I'm not a hundred percent sure how to get _there_ from _here_, but at least we know where we're going, right?"

There was a crunching sound from behind him as Knuckles punched the same rock as hard as he could, reducing it to gravel and feeling a little better for doing so. Not much, but a little.

"Why don't I just carve a way out?" he demanded, for what felt like the fiftieth time in as many minutes.

"Ah, c'mon Knux! Getting there's half the fun! And anyway, you were the one who refused to let me practise Chaos Control."

"I don't care if you practise it, Sonic, just not with _me_." Knuckles followed Sonic as the hedgehog ducked through a tiny opening into another tunnel so cramped he was forced to drag himself along on his stomach.

They continued like this for some minutes in complete silence before Sonic suddenly said, "Knux?"

"What?" the echidna said sourly.

"Um. There's something I gotta tell you about this tunnel."

"What?"

"It's a dead end." Sonic felt around in front of him experimentally, just in case he was wrong. His hand encountered solid rock.

"_What_?"

"Yeah. We're gonna have to go back."

"I am _not_ crawling backwards down this little hole, Sonic!"

Too late, Knuckles realised what he'd said and tried to wriggle out the way as Sonic managed to extricate the Chaos Emerald from his quills again. The gem lit up his features from underneath, making his grin seem positively evil.

"Well, in _that_ case..."

"Oh no you don't!" Unable to back away fast enough, Knuckles attempted to dig his way to safety only to feel Sonic's hand grab his ankle before he was more than two feet down.

"_Chaos Control_!"

When Knuckles opened his eyes again, he was upside-down in a brightly lit room with Sonic still holding onto one ankle. Twisting free, the echidna rolled sideways and came up onto his feet.

"Ha!" Sonic turned a grin on Knuckles. "Oh ye of little faith."

"What?" The echidna glanced around, noticing for the first time the recesses in the walls, each with a large, heavily armoured robot inside. They were offline at the moment, but Knuckles thought rather sourly that this happy state of affairs wasn't likely to last very long. Certainly not if Sonic was involved.

The hedgehog darted in front of him, still grinning broadly. "C'mon Knux. I did it, didn't I?"

"You don't know that."

"Sure I do! We're in one of the rooms off Robotnik's robot factory. Shads used to hang out here a lot when we were travelling together." Sonic smirked broadly. "Maybe there's something about it that draws all successful Chaos Controllers to it. Like me."

"The heart of your enemy's stronghold isn't the best place to start bragging, Sonic. Now let's look for that button so we can push it and destroy those clones before they do any more damage." Knuckles shoved past Sonic and started walking, but the hedgehog was in front of him again before he'd gone more than a few steps.

"First admit that I did Chaos Control!" Sonic's success had had the same effect as several cups of coffee and the hedgehog was now bouncing around on the spot like a puppy.

"I will admit no such thing, hedgehog." Knuckles lifted Sonic into the air, moved him to one side and continued prowling around the edge of the room. "Now zip it and help me find the damn switch!"

Sonic was not to be so easily deterred, however, and continued jogging backwards in front of Knuckles.

"Tell me I did it!"

"No."

"Tell me I did it!"

"_No_!"

"C'mon, just tell me—" Sonic broke off as he backed into the wall. There was a _click_ as he hit a switch there followed by a soft humming noise as, one by one, the eyes of the robots around them lit up. Moving in perfect unison, the bots stepped out of their recesses and raised their guns, trapping Sonic and Knuckles inside a ring of weapons.

The echidna shot Sonic a filthy look.

"Well, if it means that much to you, then fine. You did it alright. _Now_ are you happy?"

* * *

**Okay, sorry about the wait, but the next chapter will be up a lot faster ;) In the meantime, hope you liked this one and if you read, please review!**


	15. Self Destruction

**AN: Yep, I'm back, after a LONG fight with buyers, estate agents and solicitors. Sorry for the wait :)**

**STaR Productions: **Heh, you'll find out soon enough ;)

**Asher Tye: **You could very well be right :P

**Taranea: **Heh, thanks :D And Sonic with Chaos Blast...ooh, now that IS a scary thought!

**Awdures: **Thanks :) And yeah, that is a mystery...

**Jarkes: **Well...it IS logical, but that doesn't automatically mean it's right ;) (Actually, I've only just made up my mind about it myself. You'll find out in a couple of chapters).

**Forgotten Muse: **Heh, yeah. Sonic + Ego Trouble

**KR Mitchell: **Yeah, Chaos Control would be good from a cost point of view :P

**Frozen Nitrogen: **Wow, thanks :D Yeah, I love Robotnik...at least from a writing point of view ;) Shadow...I based the hurling tree thing on the game, when he can flip a bus/huge slab of concrete over and use a metal sign/torch like a rolled up newspaper ;) Also, anger tends to lend people strength :P More Espio...heh, I'm glad you said that. It'll be a large part of the sequel ;) And yes, Bait is my own character; he made his debut in _Caves of the Ancients_

**A very annoyed Tails fan: **I have to say that my conscience is pretty clear regarding Tails' appearances in my writing, since this is the first fic in the entire series where he hasn't had a starring role. He was in every single chapter of _Secrets of the Emeralds _bar one, almost every other chapter in _Caves of the Ancients _was focused solely on Tails (something that's not happened with any other character in my stories except in a few rare instances) he got more story time in _Sins of the Mothers _than Knuckles and every other chapter of _Into the Void _had Tails in a prominent role (and again, flying solo in parts).

In case you haven't gathered from that little recap, I like Tails a lot ;) That said – although he will make a comeback towards the end – there won't be any chapters of pure Tails in this fic. Then again, this fic only has one (possibly two) more chapters to go after this one anyway ;) He'll be back in the sequel, in his old role. If you want something that's pure Tails (oh alright, and Sonic as well) you might want to check out Rising Star ;)

**Ember Rock: **Heh, thanks :D I figured it was about time Sonic and Knuckles had a little session of, erm, teamwork ;)

**Doc Ock: **Thanks :D Love the name, by the way ;)

**Sonic Chronicles Unleashed**: Right now :P

* * *

_Guardian's Log no. 11511_

_So once again I find myself in a nasty situation, all thanks to Sonic and, indirectly, Shadow. That black hedgehog should have known better than to let Sonic find out about Chaos Control!_

_On a side note, Sagayan beliefs once held that symmetrical numbers were lucky, and log entries with those numbers (like this one) were supposed to be auspicious and extremely important to those that entered them. This just goes to prove – painful though it may be to admit it – that my ancestors' beliefs were sometimes nothing more than fancified tripe._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_Oookay. That didn't go quite as I'd planned, but hey, what's life without a little fun, right? Right?_

_Oops, better wrap this up. Heavily armed killer robot at twelve o'clock...and one o'clock, and two, and three, and—well, you get the idea._

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Maria,_

_Well. In the last twenty four hours, I've gone from having two other people in my camp – three if you count the fox – to none. The jackal was knocked out in the fight and since head injuries are nothing to fool around with, and since – despite the jackal's intensely irritating personality – I don't actually wish him dead, I brought him into hospital._

_Omega's offline as well, safely hidden in that cave. Apparently the systems can be rebooted once the climate stabilises (read: warms up). I'll bear that cave in mind though; it could be a useful base in the future. Part of me can't help wondering who lived there originally, even though they're long gone by now._

_One thing I can't understand is the attitude of the people towards the jackal. This is a hospital, and one for physical injuries as opposed to mental, and yet everyone here was treating that jackal as though he was a spider in their soup._

_I suppose I'd better check on him._

_--Shadow the Ultimate Life Form_

_Bait's Jurnal_

_Hed hurts. Got stuk with needels. Hate hosspituls._

_--Bait the Jakkel_

The sound of voices dragged Bait out of an unwelcome sleep and he lay there, listening.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?"

_Shadow_! Bait cringed inwardly, not liking the very real anger he could hear in the hedgehog's tone.

How had he screwed up this time? Had it been the soda can?

"My job."

"I don't believe the jackal required sedation."

The doctor, a rather plump robin who had somehow managed to pin his ID card on upside-down, fixed Shadow with a glare that didn't quite work. As a species, robins were better designed for hopping around looking cute than intimidating others.

"If you believe you can do my job any better than I can, then I suggest you take the cub away and get on with it! You had no real right to bring the jackal here in the first place, and we only took him in out of the goodness of our hearts!"

"After I destroyed the ECG," Shadow pointed out, an unpleasant light in his eyes.

"Are you a relative of this jackal?"

The hedgehog stared at the doctor. "Do I _look_ like I'm a damn relative?"

"If you are not related to this jackal then I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"And if I refuse?"

The doctor didn't blink. "If you refuse, I'll have no choice but to call security."

Shadow raised an eye ridge, not bothering to hide his smirk. "Ah. Now _that_ should be very interesting."

There was a long, drawn out silence, then the hedgehog relented slightly. "Look, just tell me what's wrong with him."

Feeling relieved for no rason he could easily explain, the robin answered, "Malnutrition – that's easily treated – and borderline hypothermia. Nasty cut on the forehead but nothing serious and a few cracked ribs that should heal in time. His fur's protected him from the worst of the temperatures." The doctor shook his head. "He shouldn't be out there in this weather. Someone should do something about him."

"And yet, I get the overwhelming feeling that _someone_ isn't going to be you," Shadow remarked very dryly, and then wondered why. After all, he wasn't exactly a candidate for the Bleeding Hearts Society himself.

"Don't have the time or space. Besides, this kid looks like trouble. I let him into my house and he'd only rob me blind overnight. Can you believe he tried to attack me?"

"Not really," Shadow answered, eyeing Bait's scrawny form and noticing the way the jackal's ears twitched very slightly towards him. _Ah_…

"It's true. Threw a full soda can at me."

"Throwing a soda can at someone hardly constitutes GBH," Shadow said in the same dry tones as before.

"That all depends on which part of the body it hits," the doctor answered tersely. He'd been walking funny for the last half hour following that little incident; not many people realised how heavy a full soda can could be. "Your jackal friend has a surprisingly good aim."

"That _thing_ lying in your hospital is _not_ my damn friend!" Shadow snapped. He was sick of explaining this to people. "He's nothing more than a needy, abused kid who – for some obscure reason – seems to have latched onto me as his saviour."

"You did come back for him," the doctor pointed out, although it was clear he shared some of the black hedgehog's feelings on the subject. He doubted you could find someone who looked less like a saviour than Shadow on the whole of Mobius.

"I came back to make sure you people hadn't just kicked him back into the snow again," Shadow said icily.

The robin shrugged. "Whatever. The point is you came back." A fresh memory of the soda can incident prompted him to add, "It's just too bad you weren't here a little earlier."

Shadow raised an eye ridge. "Yes, why did he throw that can at you?"

The doctor shrugged again. "I was trying to sedate him. He wasn't too happy about it."

"You explained to him what you were doing, did you?"

Another shrug. "Not much point. You think a kid like him'd understand medical science? I doubt he's ever been near a hospital before, much less inside one."

Although Shadow couldn't deny there was probably a lot of truth in this, it still irritated him.

"You treat the jackal like some kind of feral and you're surprised he threw a soda can at you?" Shadow said coolly. "_I_ would have thrown the damn vending machine at you."

Bait stared at the darkness of his own eyelids, mind reeling. Either Shadow had just stood up for him or – more likely – they'd screwed up his medication.

The robin snorted, clearly not believing a word of Shadow's claim. "If you say so." He nodded towards Bait. "We've done all we can for him at the moment. If you want him, take him."

Before Shadow had a chance to retort that he had no desire to take the jackal or even to be alone in the same room with him for any prolonged period of time, the doctor had turned and walked out, clicking the door shut behind him.

There was a short pause, then Shadow's voice said crisply, "Stop pretending, jackal."

Bait opened his eyes, fixing the black hedgehog with a look that was half accusatory, half perplexed.

"How'd you know I were fakin' it, mister?"

"Your ears were twitching, and don't think I didn't notice you grabbing hold of your tail to stop it wagging when I told that doctor where to get off."

Bait glowered at the appendage in question, then tucked it firmly under one leg and shifted so much weight onto it that it started to tingle. Thinking of that conversation reminded him of what Shadow had said and he focused on the black hedgehog.

"I ain't _needy_, mister!"

"Good." Shadow turned and walked towards the door. He'd got as far as putting a foot over the threshold when Bait's voice came from behind him, sounding a lot less sure of himself.

"Where're you goin'?"

Shadow shrugged. "You just said it yourself, jackal. You don't need me and I _certainly_ have no need of you."

"I dint _mean_ that!"

"No?" Shadow queried, smiling slightly. "Then what did you mean?"

"You shunta left me!" Bait struggled up onto his elbows, glaring at Shadow. "I dint break _none_ a your rules, mister, so how come you dumped me here?"

"Because in case it escaped your notice, you were injured. I didn't think you'd agree to treatment of your own free will, and I wasn't interested in convincing you."

With a visible effort, Bait swung his legs over the side of the bed and managed to stand, wobbling slightly.

"If you think I'm gonna let you walk out, you're wrong! You can't jus' leave 'cause that ain't fair, mister!"

Shadow chuckled dryly. "Life got fair? I must have missed the memo."

"What 'bout that switch?"

The black hedgehog glanced at him. "What switch?"

"The doc said somethin' 'bout a switch that's s'posed to destroy the clones. You gonna use it, mister? 'Cause I dunt think Sonic's gonna."

Shadow considered this for a moment. The idea of Sonic being driven to kill by a clone – and therefore genetically by his own self – did have a certain dark elegance, now that he thought about it.

"'Cause...if you ain't..." Bait glanced at Shadow. "Well...if you're not gonna push the button, mebbe you can take me to the Egg Carrier Three an' _I_ could?"

Shadow's expression didn't twitch, but something told Bait that he was surprised, and a little amused.

"Are you that eager to become a murderer?"

"That double ain't Sonic, mister, an' I know Sonic dunt wanna kill it, so I wanna do it for him." Bait's voice quivered slightly; he wasn't convinced that Sonic would be happy about this.

"Intriguing," Shadow remarked as he leaned against the wall. "Is the blue hedgehog aware of this tremendous sacrifice you plan to undertake on his behalf?"

The jackal frowned. "Whaddaya mean, sacrifice?"

"If you have to ask me, jackal, I doubt you'd understand."

Bait licked his lips nervously. "C'mon mister. You gotta help me out, jus' this once. Please?"

"Just this once," Shadow echoed. "You mean like the last few times I helped you out 'jus' this once'?"

"I'll never ask you for nothin' again, mister, honest."

"I seem to have heard that before, jackal. Frankly I think I'd have more respect for you if you were honest with me for once."

"Mebbe Sonic'll take me back an' you wunt have to worry 'bout me no more."

Shadow raised an eye ridge. He wasn't entirely convinced about Sonic's taking Bait back since – as far as he'd been able to make out – the blue hedgehog hadn't actually sent him away in the first place, but it was worth a try.

At the very least, it had to be better than here.

-

Sonic spun through the air, scything through two of the bots as Knuckles dealt with a third.

"We gotta find that switch!" Knuckles swung a fist through the air and Sonic barely ducked in time for it to connect with the robot behind him.

"Jeez, Knucklehead, _warn_ a guy, wouldja?" Twisting out of the way, Sonic spindashed three more robots that had been stupid enough to get themselves shunted into a line.

Knuckles didn't bother dignifying that with an answer, especially since more robots seemed to be arriving by the minute.

"Can you get to the bridge?" he demanded instead.

"It's only on the other side of that door, Knux. I think I can manage that." Sonic hopped from one foot to the other, luring a robot closer and then dodged the laser blast at the last second, causing it to blow up another robot.

"Then move it! I'll watch your back!" Knuckles shoved Sonic towards the door so hard he knocked the hedgehog off balance.

There was no time to argue. Sonic slammed the Open button and darted through, closing the door behind him. It wouldn't hold off anyone for long, but at least he'd have some warning of their approach.

_Yeah, right! Like they're gonna get past Knuckles._ _Well, at least I found the bridge._

It was, to Sonic's surprise, deserted. He'd expected Robotnik at the very least would be there with his usual collection of stock-in-trade insults and banter.

On his right Sonic caught sight of a squat column covered in gadgets and flickering lights. Jutting out of it at regular intervals were cables as thick as the hedgehog's waist, each one leading to vaguely egg-shaped pods that were filled with a murky green liquid. They were also, to Sonic's relief, empty.

Sonic wandered around the tubes, yanking out every cable he could find as he passed. He had no idea if this was where Robotnik grew the clones – something inside told him it was – but he didn't want to take any chances.

Glancing at the column of machinery and lights in the centre and rightly assuming this was the machine that allowed Robotnik to make his duplicates, Sonic raced forward and hurtled himself into it, curling up into a ball seconds before impact.

The resultant explosion blasted him clear across the room, and there was a curious ringing in his ears when he got dazedly to his feet, but one look showed him the machine was toast. There was no way Robotnik would be making any more clones, not for a long time.

Now he just had to deal with the two that already existed.

The button Robotnik had mentioned was as easy to find as the doctor had said it would be. Sonic stared at it, mind whirring. He'd intended to come on board to find definite proof that he and Knuckles were the real deal, but this seemed like too good an opportunity to waste. Besides, all the proof on Mobius wouldn't change the fact that the clones were still out there, nor that they had to be dealt with.

Sonic reached out for the button, then stopped, feeling sick.

He couldn't. Robotnik had been right about him; however necessary it was, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Murder or suicide. No, either way it was murder, because if Robotnik had been telling the truth and they _were_ the clones then he'd still be killing Knuckles.

The hedgehog swallowed in a dry throat. He had to, there was no other option, he knew that, but he still couldn't force himself to do it.

_Okay. I'll count to three and push it. No problem. Easy, right_?

Right.

Sonic stretched out his hand again. It was one thing to give the clones three seconds left to live in theory; it was quite another to put theory into practice.

Before his quivering finger had gone more than halfway, there was a soft rush of air and an apple whizzed past Sonic's head to hit the self-destruct button squarely. It was dismally anticlimatic; there was no flash of light, no high-pitched screaming (that was something to be thankful for, at any rate). Instead, a small screen slid up on an extending arm, displaying numbers in red that counted down too fast for Sonic's liking. He watched them, mouth suddenly dry.

_Five...four...three...two...one..._

The counter hit zero and Sonic jerked convulsively, half expecting to feel his lungs seize up or his brain explode.

Nothing. The hedgehog could feel his heart racing, but no more than was to be expected.

As Sonic stood there staring at the screen, the apple rolled off the control panel and along the floor until it was trapped under a familiar looking hoverskate.

Reaching down, Shadow lifted the fruit up to his mouth and took a bite, chewing and swallowing before speaking.

"That was remarkably satisfying."

"It _was_ them." Sonic sat down on a chair. His legs didn't seem to want to support him any longer. "Robotnik said...but I didn't believe...I couldn't..."

He glanced over his shoulder at Shadow, whose face was as impassive as ever. Any other time Sonic would have protested the black hedgehog's actions, would have pointed out the sheer waste of life and Shadow's amorality. This time, he let it go; he was too relieved at having the decision taken out of his hands to complain.

Apparently deciding that Sonic wasn't about to say or do anything interesting, Shadow turned and walked away, hoverskates clicking on the metal floor. Before Sonic had a chance to ask him if he'd seen Bait – or hell, even just thank him – there was a flash of green light and he was alone in the room again.

"Knux?" Sonic raised his voice. "Hey Knux, we did it!" Pausing, he added, "Well, actually, Shadow did it for us, but we still beat 'em!"

There was no answer. Sonic was puzzled for a moment, then realised that the echidna probably couldn't hear him through the door and hit the button to open it.

As the door slid open, something limp and heavy rolled against his legs and he looked down automatically into Knuckles' unseeing eyes.

* * *

**Okay, so that's it for now! Like I said, there's one (maybe two) chapters left and then that's it for this fic :) In the meantime, hope you liked it and if you read, please review!**


	16. Alone Again

**AN: ACK! Oh man, I am so sorry for the long delay :( This should have been up around lunchtime, only I got zapped by Perfect Defender 2009, which rebooted my system, lost a chunk of this chapter and then caused me to spend an hour or so getting rid of that nice little virus. Ho hum. Plus the fact there's still eight inches of snow outside (makes a change from Monday when I woke up to two feet of the stuff) and I was a little, erm, distracted.**

**I've also been kinda busy from October onwards since I FINALLY managed to get published!!! (Full details on profile for anyone interested ;))**

**Anyway, for all those still with me, this is the final chapter of _Gemini Project._**

**Milette Tails Prower: **Well, I couldn't really leave the clones running around at the end of the story. Alright, maybe I could, but it would've made it harder to continue ;)

**Awdures: **Well...housemoving is sort of sorted and sort of not. Right now I'm trying to pick out a place to live and squatting with my grandparents on occasion and using a friend's house when he's not there (he goes away for literally months at a time, so it works out quite nicely ;)) I'm going back there on the tenth, so updates should become more frequent after that :)

**Asher Tye: **Ooh, Knux playing a trick...never occurred to me (This is why I love reviews so much XD)

**Jarkes: **Heh heh...glad to hear it :P

**Frozen Nitrogen: **No, this series and my game adaptations will never be abandoned, although a final ending is possible (not looking too probable at the moment; there's the sequel and sequel's sequel to go yet ;) Basically I'll keep writing the series all the time I can keep coming up with story ideas) I can't promise the same thing for other fics, but those two will always have an update sooner or later.

**Chibi-Cougar: **Thanks :D

**Sara: **Thanks :)

**Sonic Chronicles Unleashed: **Uh...well, it wasn't soon, but the next chapter's up ;)

**Blazichu: **You're pretty perceptive :O Yes, there was more than one pod :P As for whether or not they were used...hmm. Not sure...

**DC111: **Thanks :D Glad I managed to stun you (heh)

**STaR Productions: **Heh, you're good :P Read on and all (or at least, more) shall be revealed!

**Taranea: **Heh, thanks :D (hands out chocolate frog) Shadow's actions seemed like the only realistic outcome...this way neither Sonic nor Bait have to cross the line to become a killer ;)

**amyfan4ever: **Well, since you asked so nicely...one update :)

**Fox2Tails: **Okay, here ya go!

**Ember Rock: **(hides diploma from Cliffhanger School in secret drawer) Who told you? ;) And yeah, Shadow's been very useful throughout the story :P

**Nintendo Mania: **Now _that's_ an interesting idea! I hadn't thought of that...hmm. Maybe they did.

**Pyro Hedgehog: **Heh, yeah. Looks that way ;)

**Madhog Thy Master: **Thanks...I think :P

**JustHope: **Thanks :D And you'll find out; read on :)

**K.T.Z.: **Wow, people are recommending me? :O The Guardian's Log...yeah, chances are Robotnik cloned it (or at least, got one of his robots to produce a forgery ;))

**Angel Fantasy: **You'll find out; read on ;)

**the Ambassador: **Heh, thanks :D I do my best

**Sonic Christmas: **The update...right now! (The sequel, on the other hand, may take a little longer...)

**at pie: **Thanks, glad you like it! Hopefully in the next story, updates should occur a little faster...

**xKitsuna: **Thanks, and a (very belated, or very early) Merry Christmas to you too! =P

**tailsfan007: **Um...no, I never said the clones would explode :S (Did I? *scurries back to check*)

**Knuxies-girl: **Maybe he is, maybe not ;)

**Yuki:** Okay, okay, one update! Are you happy? ;)

**Sonic 09:** Heh. No, I'm not dead =P The problem with anonymous reviews is that there's no way for me to reply to them except here. Anyway, here's the end of _Gemini Project _:)

* * *

_Guardian's Log no. 11512_

_So, that other Sonic was telling the truth all along. I guess that means the other me's now dead. Poor guy. I hope it was quick._

_Tails wasn't around when it happened, thankfully. The Emeralds alone know how he'd react to his big brother 'dying' a second time. He saw the clone's body though; there was nothing I could do about that. Oddly enough, he didn't freak out. I guess he's seen a lot of dead bodies in his life – that's the downside to hanging with that hedgehog; even Sonic can't save them all – and once he knew the Sonic lying there wasn't __his__ Sonic...well, I won't say he didn't mind, because that's not true. He just didn't freak like I'd expected._

_--Knuckles the Echidna_

_My Memoirs by Me_

_...Oh man. Knux was the clone? I mean, the Knux with me was the clone? That's...whoa. I wasn't expecting that. I dunno...he didn't look like he died in pain. I mean, he wasn't screaming; he was just...well, if his eyes hadn't been open, he could have been asleep._

_At least he was kind enough to smash the bots before he died and—oh man, I'm turning into Shadow! I didn't mean that, not really._

_--Sonic the Hedgehog_

_Maria_

_The good news is that one of those blue hedgehogs is now dead (two blue hedgehogs on Mobius was just too much). The bad news is that - since I prevented him from doing the deed himself - that jackal is not going to be happy. This means I'll probably have to suffer another of his attempted assaults on my person. Yawn._

_If I weren't such a compassionate, caring individual--no, wait, even I can't write that with a straight face. I suppose I could abandon him, except even the jackal doesn't deserve roboticisation._

_--Shadow the Ultimate Life Form_

_Bait's Jurnal_

_SHADDOE YOU JURK! I CANT BELEEVE HE DID THAT!_

_Im gonna kill him!_

_--Bait the Jakkel_

Shadow walked down to where he'd left Bait, mind turning things over idly. He still had no idea whether the echidna with Sonic had been the real one or not, but as far as he was concerned it didn't matter much. The clones were dead. Time to move on.

_And speaking of moving on..._

The black hedgehog paused outside an oval door – everything followed the popular egg-theme on board the fortress – and reached out towards the keypad. As soon as they'd landed on the Egg Carrier Three, he'd knocked Bait out with a single well-placed blow to the jaw and placed him in the first empty room that he found.

Well, alright then, the third. The first one had been securely locked (and Shadow had considered blasting it open just to satisfy his own curiosity about what was inside) and the second had the opposite problem as the door had literally fallen in as soon as Shadow pushed at it.

The third, while not as big as Bait probably would have liked, had a good ol' fashioned keypad entry system which had only taken Shadow a few minutes to crack but which would hopefully keep the jackal there until he got back. There was no way Shadow could see Bait escaping; he'd locked the door, changed the number combination just in case, and double and triple-checked the room for any conveniently placed airducts.

Shadow hesitated in the act of tapping in the combination, then drew his hand back again. He needed some time to think about things, and chances were he wasn't going to get that while Bait was hanging around. The jackal could wait.

The empty pods in the cloning machine which had been destroyed by that blue hedgehog concerned Shadow. Had they been empty because Robotnik hadn't finished their occupants yet, or had whatever was inside been released before he and Bait arrived? If so, had the self-destruct switch destroyed them as well, or had it only destroyed the hedgehog and echidna clones?

Actually, now that he thought about it, Shadow reflected rather sourly that he only had Robotnik's word that the switch had even done that much.

_Wouldn't that be just like the doctor, to send that blue hedgehog here for a switch that didn't even work?_ There was a certain kind of cruel irony to that idea that even Shadow could appreciate.

Well, standing around here wasn't going to get him any answers, and the sooner he got the touching reunion with Bait over with the better. It was a pretty surefire bet that the jackal wasn't going to be happy to see him, not after Shadow had knocked him out and locked him up. Fair enough. If it had been him in that situation, Shadow would have been making plans to kill the one responsible, and it wouldn't be a quick, painless death either.

Reaching out, he entered the combination, slid the door open and stood there with a resigned expression on his face.

"I'm gonna _kill_ you, Shads!"

Launching himself out of the corner, Bait hurled himself at Shadow, fists flying.

"You're jus' a...you think you c'n jus' stand there an'..." Bait floundered. Articulation wasn't one of his talents, and his anger was only making it harder to get the right words out in the right order, and eventually he fell back on saying, "I'm gonna kill you!"

"Do," Shadow said in bored tones. "That worked out very well the last four hundred and seventy two times you tried, didn't it, jackal?" The black hedgehog could have stopped the assault with no more than a casual swipe of his fist, but instead chose to stand there in silence, waiting for the jackal to run out of energy while wondering if it was worth going back to Emerald Hill Zone. He'd have to at some point, if only for Omega, but it was likely to be too cold to stay there on a permanent basis.

When Bait started to slump towards the ground, Shadow caught hold of the jackal, supporting his weight, but offered no further comfort, his mind still turning over the various options. Scrap Brain was out – that blue hedgehog spent too much time there and the last thing Shadow wanted was to bump into _him_ again – and half of Metropolis was still being rebuilt after Oil Ocean went up (and just how had that happened, anyway?). Maybe Hill Top? That was remote enough.

Glaring up at him as best he could, Bait blurted out, "I jus' wanted to help Sonic, Shads! Why'd you have to come bargin' in? You dint have to dump me here jus' 'cause you thought I wouldn't push that stupid button!"

Shadow's voice was calm, impassive. "I didn't do this because I thought you wouldn't push the button, jackal. I did it because I knew you would." No, Hill Top wouldn't be any good; it was so remote that any newcomers would stand out a mile. Maybe Casino Night...

Bait swallowed hard, body quivering slightly. This wasn't the first time Shadow had pulled the mental rug out from under him.

"But Sonic—"

Dragging his thoughts back to the current situation, Shadow said, "Do you seriously believe that blue hedgehog would have wanted you to do something like that for him? You're not a killer, jackal."

Bait swallowed again, staring up into Shadow's impassive expression.

"But I coulda bin, mister." It was barely audible.

"Yes, you could." A humourless smile touched Shadow's mouth. "In future, however, I suggest you leave such things to the experts."

The jackal hoisted himself onto the edge of the table, not looking at him. He'd hoped against hope that something would happen to stop him; like Sonic, he hadn't much relished the thought of becoming a murderer.

But there was no way he was going to admit that to Shadow.

"Why'd you stop me? I on'y wanted to do somethin' for Sonic. _Really_ do somethin' for him, I mean."

"That blue hedgehog isn't worth killing for. How guilty do you think he'd have felt, knowing you'd done it because you thought it was what he wanted?"

Bait shot him a look. "D'you think it'd be more or less guilty than he'd feel if he'd had to do it himself?"

"Interesting moral point, jackal. Ask him yourself, if you two ever manage to catch up with each other."

Bait looked away again, ears flat. "Yeah. Where we gonna go, mister?"

Shadow briefly wondered whether it was worth protesting the _we_, then thought better of it. The jackal had an irritating tendency to ignore his subtle, delicate hints like, "Piss off."

"Back to Emerald Hill, at least for the minute. I'm not leaving Omega behind."

"An' then?"

"That's not your concern, jackal." Shadow pulled out his Chaos Emerald and fielded Bait neatly with his other hand as the jackal attempted to tackle him around the waist so as not to be left behind. "Chaos Control!"

There was a faint echo as Sonic, unaware of what was going on a few doors away, shouted the same phrase, then all was quiet. When Robotnik returned, the only signs of what had happened were the smashed robots and broken cloning tubes.

* * *

Sonic blinked and looked around, then swore as he realised that he was standing on a hill in Emerald Hill Zone and up to his waist in snow. Apart from being uncomfortable in itself, he was about two hundred miles away from where he'd been trying to get to: ie, Angel Island.

He was also still holding Knuckles' body in his arms, unable to shake off a strong sense of loss. Even if the Knuckles who had come with him hadn't been the real one, he'd still helped Sonic. They'd fought the Egg Whale together, gone head to head with Robotnik and the echidna had covered Sonic's back long enough for the hedgehog to destroy the clones.

_Except you didn't, did you_?

Sonic barely registered this, dismissing it as unimportant. The clones were destroyed; that was all that mattered, although now he thought about it, he wished he'd remembered to ask Shadow about Bait.

_So what am I going to do with a dead echidna clone?_

Sonic didn't know, except that he hadn't wanted to leave the double's body on the Egg Carrier Three for Robotnik to either toss out or recycle. The echidna deserved better than that. His original plan had been to take the body up to Angel Island for a proper burial, but the failed Chaos Control had put something of a dent in that idea. He supposed he could try it again, but there was no telling where he'd end up. For all he knew, he'd materialise some two hundred feet above an ocean or an active volcano.

Eventually he settled for taking the clone's body into the mountains and spindashing a hole in one of them, then placing the clone's body inside and packing smaller rocks around it, building up an internal cairn.

He thought he ought to do something, say something, but found the words wouldn't come.

"Sonic?"

The hedgehog turned to see Knuckles standing on a rock, eyeing him warily.

"I thought I saw you heading up here. Is that..." He broke off and nodded towards the cairn.

"Yeah. Pretty convincing, huh?" Sonic coughed. "Uh...Knux, am I—"

"Yeah. The other you just collapsed. It was pretty quick. Tails and I buried him."

"Tails?" Sonic's pulse quickened. "Oh man, is he—"

"Fine. Well, as fine as can be expected. I left him behind in the hotel."

Sonic blinked. "Where'd you get money to pay for a hotel?"

"I don't pay, Sonic. I walk in and offer to save them a few thousand mobiums in repairs in exchange for a room."

There was a short pause while the hedgehog worked this out, then he said, "You mean you walk in and say 'gimme a room or I'll smash the place up'?"

"More or less." Knuckles' voice was matter-of-fact. It wasn't dishonourable unless he did it to another echidna. "I promised him I wouldn't be long."

Sonic coughed. "Uh...where'd you bury the...um..."

"The other you? Tails picked out a spot in the forest, under a certain coconut palm."

The hedgehog blinked at him. Knuckles had attached an oddly meaningful tone to that last statement.

"Any particular certain coconut palm, or did you just pick one that looked sure of itself?"

Knuckles groaned. "How the hell can you laugh after what's just happened?"

Sonic looked at him steadily and with no trace of levity as he answered, "Because if I couldn't laugh, I think I'd have to start screaming, and if I started screaming I'm not sure I'd ever be able to stop."

There was a short pause. Something told Knuckles that Sonic hadn't just been talking about the cloning incident.

"So which tree?" Sonic said. The normal lightness was back in his tone as he cocked his head on one side, and for a moment the echidna wondered if he'd imagined the last few seconds.

"Tails said it's where you first met. He also said--"

What Tails said, Sonic never found out, because at that moment the fox caught sight of them and decided to reenact his and Sonic's first real meeting by divebombing him in a tackle hug so hard that both of them rolled over in a tangle of arms and legs.

"_SONIC_!"

The hedgehog pushed himself up on his elbows, spat snow out of his mouth and grinned at him. "Hey lil bro. Miss me?"

Tails nodded, beaming too much to speak.

"That's good." Sonic winked. "I'd hate to think you'd forgotten me."

Getting to his feet, Tails still gazing up at him with an expression that said he couldn't believe his luck, Sonic added, "Whaddaya say we go grab a coupla chili dogs?"

"Some things never change, do that?" Knuckles remarked, apparently to the snowflakes that were drifting down from the sky. He knew Sonic well enough to know that this carefree act was partially just that - an act - but it wasn't _entirely_ contrived.

"Sonic? Sonic, did you kill the clone?"

Sonic glanced down at Tails, serious again. "No, lil buddy. Shadow did."

"_Shadow_?" Knuckles and Tails echoed in perfect unison. Knuckles continued. "How much did you have to pay him?"

The blue hedgehog rolled his eyes. "That's not how it was! I was just...I couldn't bring myself to push the button, so Shadow did it for me. Guess that guy's useful for something other than being the angst poster child." He smirked, the expression not unlike Shadow himself, although he couldn't hide a slight quiver inside. If Shadow hadn't been there...

"Are you going to stand there brooding all day, or are you going to take this poor fox cub to get some food?" Knuckles said sharply, after Sonic had stood there in silence for a few minutes.

"I'm not a _cub_, Knucklehead!"

Sonic blinked. Something in Knuckles' choice of words jerked him onto a higher level of awareness and he glanced at the echidna.

"What, you're not coming with us?"

Even as he said it, he saw the answer in Knuckles' eyes.

The echidna shook his head. "I have some unfinished business to take care of. You – well, the other you – got the replacement Master Emerald out of Scrap Brain, so I plan to restore to its rightful place and get Angel Island into the sky again, where it belongs." He glanced at Tails. "Take care, kid. Don't let that blue hedgehog get too full of himself."

Sonic grinned. "Yeah, and if _you_ get your head wedged too far up your ass, me and Tails'll be only to happy to dig it out again."

The fox wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Eww! Speak for yourself!"

Sonic ruffled Tails' fur, then glanced up at Knuckles. "You sure you don't wanna stick around?"

"The Master Emerald won't guard itself, Sonic. There's no way I'm leaving it lying around, not now those scumbags in the tunnels know about it." Knuckles conveniently left out the fact that it was one of the scumbags in question who had kept it safe from looters until Espio had had time to collect it. The chameleon Scarface never did anything without a very, very good reason, and the echidna wasn't about to hang around and risk losing the Master Emerald just to find out what that reason was.

"Jeez, Knucklehead, some things never change, do they?" Sonic grinned at the echidna's glare, then became a little more serious. "Well, as the human singer whose name I can't remember put it--" (Knuckles groaned; despite his protests, sighs and threats of bodily harm, the cloned Sonic had still persisted in singing every human song he could remember until the echidna knew them by heart)-- "we may as well go home. If you ever get bored, you know where to find me."

"No I don't." Knuckles bit back the other retort that Sonic would probably drag him away from the Master Emerald on another hare-brained adventure long before Knuckles himself got bored with guarding it. "And you don't have a home, remember?"

The hedgehog waved a hand. "Okay, sure, but all you gotta do is land in a non-aquatic Zone and I'll turn up sometime."

Knuckles didn't bother answering this; instead he glanced over at Tails. "See you."

To his and Sonic's surprise, Tails bounded over to him and wrapped the echidna in a hug that threatened to crush his ribs.

"Bye Knux. You're the coolest."

A loud, "A-HEM!" from an indignant looking Sonic prompted Tails to add, "Well...second coolest."

"And don't you forget it, lil bro."

It was that awkward stage, the stage of not wanting to be seen to be the first to leave usually only seen after a dinner party at a restaurant. The silence stretched out for a few seconds before Sonic, in typical Sonic fashion, grinned and waggled his fingers.

"Well, see ya!"

Turning, he raced off, Tails following close behind.

Knuckles didn't leave immediately; he stood on the crest of the hill watching as Sonic and Tails raced off together, pausing rather frequently to hurl snowballs at each other and didn't move until the two had vanished from view.

Back to Angel Island. At the very least, it would probably be warmer there. Knuckles took a deep breath, then turned and walked towards the place where he'd buried the Master Emerald, the last refrain of the song Sonic had quoted beating over and over again in his head.

_Alone again...naturally._

* * *

**So, Sonic, Tails and Knux all wander off into the sunset together (or in Knuckles' case, back to Angel Island) and Shadow's landed with Bait ;) Everything's back to normal. And it only took...what? Five stories to accomplish? XD**

**Although _Gemini Project _is now over, this isn't the end of the series – the sequel **_**Endless Winter**_** is already being worked on – but I'm going to be taking a short break, just until I get everything else sorted. In the meantime, hope you enjoyed this story and if you read it, please review!**


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